AUTHOR: Maximillian Potter
STARTED: April 13, 2015
FINISHED: April 25, 2015
PAGES: 289
GENRE: Non-Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE: The sun over Burgundy's seemingly endless expanse of richly green vineyards belonged to late summer.
SUMMARY: [From BN] In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison-a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder-unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine.
THOUGHTS: I started reading this book thinking, "YES BRING ON THE CONSPIRACY." By the end, the mystery kinda has no point, but the book is still an excellent read. The whole threat is just a wonderful set-up to showcase the history of this world-renowned French vineyard.
Potter's writing style is very descriptive and eloquent. He vividly shows the land, the people, and the wine is such great detail that I could feel the terroir between my toes. Potter has a wonderful way of bringing out the character of the people he covers in this book.
Additionally, the whole book is wonderfully paced. It bounces between modern day and history, building and building the story to the mystery. And, when the mystery is solved, even though it is not as you might expect, the book still feels complete. The pay off is not what I thought it would be, but I was not disappointed.
I would not be surprised if this was turned into a movie. Also, I want to go back to France.
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]
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