Benchmark Wine Group

I would give Benchmark zero stars if I could. Ordered 6 bottles of wine and signed the shipping waiver to have them sent right away in the first week of June with the full realization that temps vary during shipping and can affect the quality of wine. However, when opening the box, the bottle of 1993 Vosne Romanee was leaking. Initially I thought it may have been due to shipping temps, but upon looking closer, it was clear there was a small hole in the foil and obvious signs of mold and rust under the foil. The cork was soaked through and was leaking wine when compressed.
I let Benchmark know within 15 minutes of receiving the shipment. I sent them a video and photos of the hole in the foil. They refused to give credence to my claim or take any responsibility for shipping a bottle which was clearly unsaleable. I showed the bottle to a number of sommelier friends, who all agreed that the bottle looked like a Coravin had been used on it at some point.
I will never buy from Benchmark again and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. If they are willing to scam you for a 250 $ bottle, what else won’t they do? Terrible service! Order from Flickinger or Wally’s… get your money’s worth at the least.

DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING ONLINE FROM THEM. «overnight delivery» become 3 day delivery, don’t use GSO either!!! companies like these cannot grow bigger by some reasons.
I called them asked why its delay, they told me they don’t know, all they know is «weather/​accident», does it sound like a lie? ask them for a shipping refund, customer service told me they cannot get it because she spoke few GSO representative, they all got same answer about the delay reason… I am wondering, do you know everyone from GSO is using same system? Do you think you ask more than one person from their company, they will give you different answers?

I have ordered many times from Benchmark and have extremely satisfied with the experience. From the selection of wines I am looking to source to the reasonable to very good pricing on the «find and buy» side I am extremely happy. Even better than the broad selection of wines is the customer service is spot on (great for me.) I will continue to source/​buy wines from Benchmark.

Have ordered from them several times in the past for in stock items without any problems. Recently ordered some pre-​arrival items that wouldn’t arrive for 3 – 6 months. 2 days later I received multiple offers on the same wines for 10−15% less. I called to cancel the order and they were firm on the 5% cancellation charge. Are they in the «right». Probably. But it’s annoying from a customer standpoint since it’s pre-​arrival and other retailers are better on the customer service front when dealing with pre-​arrival cancellations.
Based on this I do not plan on purchasing pre-​arrivals from them in the future due to their less than competitive pricing.

I’ve used Benchmark several times in the last few years to find some of my favorite back vintages of wine. Their website is easy to use and the customer service has been excellent. I like how they send me inventory updates when they get in new collections. I recommend them highly.

*I do realize that I put a Napa based vintner on my list of best Vintners in NYC, but with service and shipping this good, I would say they count as one of the best vintners in NYC regardless of being in Napa.
Benchmark gets an update:
1. I drank another bottle from my first purchase, and it was spectacular. They live up to their claims of selling properly cellar-​ed wines of solid provenance that are shipped to you with care.
I’ll say it again because it can not be said enough:
They live up to their claims of selling properly cellar-​ed wines of solid provenance that are shipped to you with care.
2. The customer service is just absurdly good. I am going to be honest and let you know I am a complete pain after placing an order. I change it, ask questions about it, and send a dozen emails. I can’t help myself. Mindy and Alexis are fantastic and meet every need you could have as a customer, trust me, I emailed them no less than a dozen times over my last order.
3. They kill it with the shipping. Bad weather along the way? They wait until a shipping window is available that allows your wine to arrive in the condition it left the cellar.
Can’t wait? I couldn’t when it looked like there may not be a shipping window until after August!
They just shipped me two magnums from Napa to NYC using FedEx’s cold chain wine shipping for $ 24. Yeah — for $ 24 — my wine was shipped from Napa to NYC in temperature controlled trucks.
Too bad there aren’t six stars to give.

I am a certified sommelier and have purchased many beautiful, affordable bottles of wine for many years from Benchmark Wine. Their service is excellent and I always enjoy visiting with the staff to learn what they are hearing in the marketplace. BWG is my ‘private cellar’ for aging fine wines and they are also a fine source for area restaurants. I will continue to purchase wine from BWG and recommend to my colleagues and friends. a votre sante!

I just bought a sweet magnum of zin for under $ 50! Score!!! Benchmark has an outrageous selection of wine ranging from date night pricing to bottles only wine aficionados would know and be able to afford.
Benchmark’s shipping department is always SO helpful; always willing to hold on to a few bottles I’ve purchased in order to ship out half or full cases at a later date (all to save ME money!). The staff is über professional and very knowledgeable about their wines, which to me is helpful considering I am not a devout wine fan and don’t know too much outside of California Cabs.
If you’re looking for a rare bottle, or just looking to hit their Bin Sale (which SHOULD NOT BE MISSED — Ahhhh-​mazing deals!), Benchmark is reliable and has great wines.

I have used BMG to purchase a couple of bottles of wine as gifts and they have been nothing but outstanding. They are knowledgable, have extensive and interesting inventory and provide great customer service. They ship immediately and the bottles arrived less than 24 hours after they were ordered.
I would highly recommend them

Having bought several times over the years from Benchmark Wine, I am happy to report that Benchmark Wine has always come through with interesting wines at great prices.
For examples, they recently offered Pavie 1983 at $ 60, Remoissenet Clos de la Roche 2002 at $ 60, Perrot Minot Mazoyeres Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2000 at $ 80. Prices were so good that I ended up getting a mixed case of the good stuff! :D
One concern about buying older wines on the post-​release market is provenance, i.e., how/​where the wines have been stored. And having bought several bottles from Benchmark Wine in the past, I am happy to report that I haven’t had any badly stored/​shipped bottles.
And since they are located in Napa, they usually get first dibs on local collectors’ cellars. And Benchmark ships to Silicon Valley addresses using FedEx Ground so the customers pay lower shipping prices and still get the wines the next day. Benchmark also holds your wines over the hot months as needed.