Maximillian Potter

This book chronicles a crime I had never heard about before I picked up this book - the crime of poisoning the vineyard of the world's finest Burgundy - the vines of La Romanee-Conti. After reading this book, I would love to taste this wine! It makes my poor, cheap Pinot Noir bland and sad in comparison.

The actual story of the crime is a short one. It has been made novel length by the addition of other material such as the history of the vineyard and the character of the vigneron, Aubert de Villaine. He is portrayed as a wonderful man that cannot be separated from his soil, from his vines, from his terroir.

There were quite a few typos in this book which was distracting. Also, the chapters generally do not follow sequentially. One chapter may be about Aubert's life now, the next chapter about an owner of the vineyard - The Prince de Conti - in the years preceding the Revolution, the next chapter about Aubert's life when he was young. This did provide interest, but because it took awhile for me to read this book, I would sometimes forget who all the characters were. I did think the story of the Prince de Conti would end a bit more dramatically, but that could be my fault for not reading more French history.

All in all, I did enjoy the book.… (more)

I was so impressed with the extensive research and historical information provided in this very detailed account of a bizarre crime to extort money from the world’s most eminent winery in the world, the Domaine de Romanée-Conti. I really enjoyed the historical depiction of the French Court and how Prince Conti navigated his relationship with the king, as well as his adversary and the king’s mistress, Madame Pompadour. In fact, I later read that Prince Conti’s disdain for Madame Pompadour was so great, that when Madame Pompadour cast her eyes toward acquiring the coveted wine from La Romanée, Prince Conti immediately paid an enormous sum for the winery estate and added his name to it, thereafter being called Romanée-Conti. Subsequently, I was also intrigued by the historical transcendence of the winery and how family members came to become keepers of the estate through the generations.
In regard to the extortion and crime, I thought that the author provided extensive information as to how the crime unfolded, and he described the unfortunate background of its key players.
Mostly in this non-fiction work, the author was able to deftly convey the family’s great respect for the terrior of the vineyards, and how this exalted wine is like a divine gift. When the author was given a taste of 2008 La Tâche, his first Burgundy, he described it as ‘like divine, liquefied Pop Rocks that make me feel light headed—the kind of happiness that I felt after I first kissed my wife.’ Such a wine that exuded such perfection was not to be forgotten or taken lightly.… (more)