Decanter World Wine AwardsDomaine de la Romanee Conti victim of €1m blackmail attempt
- Friday 7 May 2010
According to Aubert de Villaine, co-director of the estate and Decanter Man of the Year 2010, blackmailers threatened to poison the vineyards earlier this year.
‘We first received a series of anonymous letters in January, accompanied by a detailed map of our vineyard, with a section of vines marked out,’ de Villaine told decanter.com.
‘They demanded a ransom payment of €1m, and claimed that if we did not pay, they would poison the vines.’
De Villaine immediately contacted the police, and continued discussions with the perpetrator, during which a trap was set at the end of February.
The story was leaked to the French press this week, ‘catching us slightly on the hoof,’ continued de Villaine, ‘as we were just preparing our own press statement.’
The man, whose name has not been made public but who is from the Marne region of France, was arrested on February 22. His son was with him, but was not arrested.
He was allegedly trying to collect a package of false banknotes that had been left as a fake ransom by the managers of the DRC estate in the village of Chambolle-Musigny, near the estate itself in Vosne-Romanée.
‘We had no knowledge of this man prior to the first letter, but apparently he had completed two years of viticultural studies in Burgundy,’ said de Villaine. ‘He obviously decided a life in crime was more rewarding, as he has already spent time in prison.’
He seems to have had no previous connection with DRC as either an employee or client.
The only concrete loss from the affair has been one – or perhaps two – individual vine plants from the 1.8 hectare estate. These were found with a hole alongside them, into which some liquid had been poured in; probably a weedkiller, but analysis is ongoing.
One vine has been pulled up for testing, but the other is growing normally. ‘He was arrested before any actual damage was done.’
The suspect is currently on remand, and will face charges of extortion.
Have your say!
Jim Havwelter
January 09 12:54
This area, is probably one of the most historical areas of lore in Burgundy.
It is by far the most desirable and beautiful in all of the wine growing world. It is for this reason that there are folks that take aim at it.
It is a historical entinty, laced with the history of wine itself, and coveted for its history, beauty, and fruit, by a world past and present, by kings and queens, and by all peoples across not only Europe, but indeed, the world.
Rest assured that even though its beauty comes from the ability to walk amoung the vines there, this will eventually pass. The future of the area will become protected and survailed. It will be off limits to those who want to feel and breath in the history of that place.
And that is sad... sad for those of us who have been there to feel it, and sad for those yet to be bitten by the lore and history of that place.