Carber-nay. More than €1.5 million worth of vintages have mysteriously disappeared from one of France’s most prestigious restaurants, with no signs of a break in.
ADVERTISEMENTParisian restaurant La Tour D’Argent is one of France’s most famous restaurants, with not only a Michelin star menu boasting their famous pressed duck speciality, a spectacular view overlooking Notre Dame, but also a wine cellar that currently boasts some 300,000 bottles.
It also has the distinct honour of having served as the inspiration for Gusteau's restaurant in Disney Pixar's greatest film, Ratatouille.
However, it is hitting the headlines with a spot of drama, as the staff at the iconic eatery have found that several bottles were missing from its cellar during a routine inventory.
The police were called, and told that 83 bottles of rare wine were unaccounted for - vintages with a value of more than €1.5 million.
The theft would have taken place between January 2020 and January 2024.
There were no signs of a break in, according to French news outlet Le Parisien. So, a very discreet heist...
The list of missing wine bottles includes bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, renowned for producing some of the world’s greatest (and most expensive) wines.
Connoisseurs will pay upwards of €14,000 for a bottle of the 2011 vintage, while online wine sellers price a 1999 DRC Grand Cru at around €28,000.
The 442-year-old restaurant underwent a major renovation in 2022 and re-opened late last summer. As part of its reopening, it compiled a “wine bible” listing the contents of its cellars in a tome weighing 8kg. It's feeling a little lighter now.
La Tour D’Argent has served a number of heads of state and A-list celebs over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, Salvador Dalí, Steven Spielberg, and Sir Paul McCartney.
The last two guests will have to make do with picks from the other 299,917 bottles in the cellar.
Sip happens.
