A New York jury on Thursday backed a US billionaire who complained that wines he bought costing thousands of dollars a bottle were phony.

Bill Koch, brother to the politically connected siblings who help fund the US conservative Tea Party movement, sued wealthy businessman Eric Greenberg over what he said was a bad batch of bottles in a $3.5 million purchase he made at auction.

The jury in federal court agreed and awarded him compensation, Koch’s lead attorney John Hueston told AFP.

“They awarded compensatory damages of approximately $355,000 and another $26,000 in additional damages for findings of willful misconduct,” Hueston said.

The legal battle started in 2007 following an auction in which Greenberg consigned part of his 70,000-bottle-strong cellar for sale. Koch bought 2,669 of the bottles.

They had extraordinary labels like a Chateau Latour 1928, worth $2,873, a Chateau Latour 1864, several Cheval Blanc 1921s, and a Chateau Petrus magnum from 1921 that was bought for $29,500.