Expert: Paul Wagner - 4/16/2007

Question
My father gave me a articel about Louis Xiii de Reny Martin Grande Champange Cognac that stated the bottle that I have,  a 750ML in orginial wooden box, approx 30 years old is worth a lot of money. Article says 5-8K. Unsure if this number help or not - Carafe number A1L 79393. Unsure were to go with his. Keep it as a investment, seller to a broker, let my frineds drink it at a BBQ - just kidding.

I do not drink hard booze, Miller lite for me.  

Answer
Hi TC

I am not sure where you saw this article....most of the pricing I am seeing on this stuff as a current release is about $1300 a bottle.  And Remy Martin, on their official website, says that they don't estimate values...

But in general, cognac has such high alcohol levels that the liquid doesn't change much over time.  Make no mistake, this is fabulous stuff, but I worry about getting $5000 or $8000 for a bottle of this...while you can buy a current version, which should taste about the same, for $1200-1300. I don't see this appreciating much more in the future--but then, I am still working for a living--so I can't be that smart about investments!


The really tough nut to crack on this one is that it is illegal for a private individual to sell alcohol in the USA.  You can try listing this with someone like Sotheby's who regular organizes wine sales, or even try to sell this through ebay. However, ebay will make you post a specific note that this bottle is not suitable for consumption, but only for bottle collectors, to avoid the concerns about legality.

Or you can simply try to advertise this on something like Craigslist, and hope that the right buyer comes along.  They will be few and far between...so you may have to wait a while to get your full price.

The other option is to contact a fine wine and spirits retailer, and see if they are interested in selling this for you...but they will extract a commission.  So will Sotheby's for that matter.  

Sorry I can't be of more help...but this is one of those oddities from our liquor laws.  The stuff is great, and it's worth a lot of money.  If it were worth less, nobody would care if you sold a bottle or two.  But at these prices, you are going to attract a lot of attention...and that may not be in your best interests.

Paul Wagmer