French Pinot Noir Class Action Settlement

A class action lawsuit settlement has been reached with E. & J. Gallo Winery and Constellation Brands over allegations they sold Pinot Noir to U.S. consumers that may not have contained enough amounts of the varietal to be properly labeled “Pinot Noir.” As a result, you may be able to get some money back if you purchased Farallon, Red Bicyclette, Redwood Creek, Rex Goliath, Talus, Turning Leaf or Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi brand French Pinot Noir wines before December 2, 2011.

The Pinot Noir settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit, entitled Zeller v. E. & J. Gallo Winery, et al., and Constellation Brands, Inc., et al., that alleges some French winemakers and a U.S. importer sold millions of bottles of fake Pinot Noir to the United States. The class action lawsuit was filed after a French court convicted 12 French winemakers in 2010 of purposely mislabeling cheap wine under the false label of Pinot Noir for at least three years and importing it to the U.S. There was nothing wrong with this wine other than it contained less of the Pinot Noir varietal than required in order to be labeled “Pinot Noir.”

The Defendants in the French Pinot Noir class action lawsuit bought wine labeled “Pinot Noir” from these French suppliers, receiving in each case official French documentation stating that the wine was Pinot Noir. The companies say they believed that the wine they received was Pinot Noir, and there is no way to determine scientifically if the wine did or did not contain the required amount of Pinot Noir.

The Plaintiffs allege in the fake Pinot Noir class action lawsuit that this wine was still mislabeled when it was sold to U.S. consumers. The Defendants deny these allegations and contend that if they received any mislabeled wine, they themselves were victims of the convicted French suppliers. Nevertheless, they have agreed to make certain reimbursements to consumers who purchased the wines in question in order to assure satisfaction and resolve the claims in the class action lawsuit.

Class Members of the Pinot Noir class action settlement include anyone who purchased one of the following wines in the United States before December 2, 2011 with a label that identifies the wine as Pinot Noir from France, Pays d’Herault, or Languedoc-Roussillon:

Group 1 Wines

Farallon Pinot Noir 2006
Rex Goliath Pinot Noir 2005-2008
Talus Pinot Noir 2005-2007
Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir 2005-2008

Group 2 Wines

Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir 2005
Redwood Creek Pinot Noir 2005-2007
Turning Leaf Pinot Noir 2006

Class Members that have proof of purchase can file a claim to receive reimbursement of the price they actually paid for the wine, excluding taxes. However, if you don’t have adequate evidence of your purchase(s), you can still file a claim to receive $3.50 per bottle you purchased, up to a collective total of $10.50. This $10.50 maximum would apply to all purchases of any combination of qualifying French vintages of Group 1 Wines, and it would also apply separately to all purchases of any combination of qualifying French vintages of Group 2 Wines.

To receive your cash reimbursement from the French Pinot Noir class action lawsuit settlement, you must submit a claim form postmarked on or before May 24, 2012.

Claim forms and more information on your rights in the French Pinot Noir Class Action Lawsuit Settlement can be found at www.FrenchPinotNoirSettlement.com. Details on how to file a valid claim and ensure you receive a refund can be found in our Open Lawsuit Settlements section.