ST.-JEAN-DE-TRÉZY, France—Early the morning of Jan. 5, the owner of Domaine de Rymska, a luxury hotel about 10 miles southwest of Burgundy’s Côte-d’Or region, was awakened to the sound of the hotel’s alarm system. Three thieves were making off with a substantial stash from the property’s wine cellar—about $425,000 worth.
As the Burgundy bandits made their escape, the owner gave chase, calling police as he tailed them. Authorities soon joined the pursuit, which quickly escalated into a high-speed game of cops and robbers heading south on the A6 autoroute. In an attempt to shake the police, the fugitives began throwing bottles of wine at the police cars. Fortunately, none of the bottles found their mark; unfortunately, they almost certainly shattered on the pavement.
The chase mercifully came to an end when the thieves crashed through a toll booth and abandoned their van and loot, escaping on foot. Many of the grand cru Burgundy bottles were recovered, but the three suspects remain at large.
It was an altogether awful week for the Relais & Chateaux property, as thieves had just helped themselves to more than $240,000 of wine the day before. Authorities have yet to confirm whether or not the two crimes are connected. "We are going through a very difficult time," a representative of Domaine de Rymska told Unfiltered via email. "Lots of grand cru wines have been stolen."
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