Stolen Côte Rôtie hoard tracked down – one year on

Around a quarter of the 1,800 bottles of Domaine Garon Côte Rôtie stolen more than a year ago have been recovered by police.

Around 1,800 bottles of Domaine Garon wine – 10% of the estate’s entire production – were stolen in December 2014 (Photo: Domaine Garon)

Domaine Garon, a five-hectare estate in Ampuis, was targeted by thieves in the early hours of December 8, 2014. The thieves took more than 1,800 bottles of the estate’s wines – more than 10% of its total production.

The retail value of Domaine Garon Côte Rôtie is around €30-€60. The total value of the stolen wines was thought to be in the region of €60,000, according to Le Progrès.

Police from Tournon-sur-Rhône in the Ardèche recovered the wine from a hoard hidden in a cellar in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, in the Drôme department. Among the hoard were 430 bottles of Domaine Garon, which police planned to return to the estate, Le Progrès reported.

The Garon family has been making wine in the village of Ampuis since the 15th century.

Brothers Kevin and Fabien Garon have been in charge of the estate since 2003 and produce three wines: Les Rochins, Les Triotes and La Sybarine.

The drinks business reported in December 2014 how thieves had targeted Domaine Garon’s 2012 vintage as it was stacked on palettes ready for international shipping.

While rare, burglaries at wineries are more frequent in December when wine is being shipped abroad to customers for Christmas and New Year celebrations.