Would you keep these bottles?

[Jenise]

Special ordered four of the Lapierre MMXV Beaujolais. Bottles arrive: one of them has wine stains on the red wax top where wine apparently leaked through, wine stains on the label, and the fill is down an inch compared to the other bottles. Somewhere along the route of custody, it had quite the experience! Question is, what caused that and should I therefore return all four? The distrib, who is a friend, says taste one of the other bottles and return all if you think it's 'off'. My thought is that what happened might not show up as cooked, say, right now, but might be much more apparent down the road. I did not buy them for immediate consumption.

I agree with you, it could take time for any fault to show, and given the clear evidence you have that one bottle was affected in transit, I think it's safe to say there is a very good chance they will all be affected. I'd send them all back

I was surprised that the distributor/friend suggested you 'taste one now', as that is perhaps a little naive. But, on the other hand, I guess there isn't complete agreement among wine aficionados about the protocol in this situation (but I think returning them all would be the call of the majority).

I'd return them all, even if only to avoid the spectre of uncertainty. Even if a bottle tastes "fine" now or five years from now, won't you secretly wonder (more than with other bottles) if it could've been even better?

There's no way of knowing when that one bottle went through concentrated heat, but odds are better on returning all just in case.

You should have every confidence that each bottle you receive is of the highest possible quality or the sale is null and void.

That means someone else will eventually get those bottles, but that's not really your concern. If the producer/shipper/distributor is smart, they'll write off at least the stained bottle, then taste it.

Of course, you could reach out to the responsible seller and relate your problem, and ask what they would suggest to correct the situation.

In some cases like this I have said "my apologies; we should have done better", refunded the costs entirely, and suggested they just keep the wines and enjoy them (if they're good), so that it's either a slight win or a big win/win for you. (Although in truth it might have been the cheaper alternative for me, and less fuss, it makes a customer feel good. So a win/win/win.)

[Jenise]

I'd return them all, even if only to avoid the spectre of uncertainty. Even if a bottle tastes "fine" now or five years from now, won't you secretly wonder (more than with other bottles) if it could've been even better?

Exactly. Or more like, if a future bottle didn't live up to expectations I'd blame this problem, rightly or wrongly. Anyway, you all told me what I wanted to hear: they go back. Thank you!