CLARKE COUNTY, VA — On Tuesday, L’Auberge Provençale in Clarke County Virginia was the target of a carefully planned and rehearsed theft involving some of the rarest wines in the world—bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti the Boyce restaurant says they spent years carefully acquiring for their guests.
A couple posing as event planners used a planned distraction to steal multiple irreplaceable DRC bottles, even planting fake screw-cap decoy bottles to try to hide what they took. Their getaway car—a New Jersey rental—was parked far down the drive to avoid detection.
Owner Christian Borel recounted the heist in detail on a video on the restaurant’s channel.
“Earlier this week, L’Auberge Provençale was the target of a carefully planned and rehearsed theft involving some of the rarest wines in the world—bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti that we have spent years carefully acquiring for our guests,” he said.
Photo: L’Auberge Provençale
Borel talked about how the two suspects, a man and a woman, gained access to the wines, posing as prospective clients who wanted to host an event at the venue.
“A couple posing as event planners used a planned distraction to steal multiple irreplaceable DRC bottles, even planting fake screw-cap decoy bottles to try to hide what they took. Their getaway car—a New Jersey rental—was parked far down the drive to avoid detection,” he said.
“They were very particular about their wine and after a little tour of the dining room, things like that, they want to see the wine cellar, which is very common,” he said. She said they seemed very interested in seeing the wines and being shown the quality of the cellar and its contents “The lady had to report back to her boss. So she did a very good job of distracting me. The gentleman was able to take several bottles of these incredibly hard to find bottles that cost a lot of money to us.”
Once they’d left the cellar, Borel said he sensed something was off so he checked out the more expensive wines and found them replaced with similar bottles – sporting screw-top lids.
“Thanks to the incredible bravery and quick action of our staff, including a newly hired team member and our senior front-team member Drew, along with the help of one of our amazing guests, the female suspect was stopped before she could escape. Two bottles were recovered in the grass, but several remain missing,” according to an announcement from L’Auberge Provençale .
The stolen wines include extremely rare DRC bottles, each with unique serial numbers, which Borel says he hopes will help law enforcement track them. “Wine thefts like this often have international connections,” he wrote in a social media post, adding the investigation is ongoing.
The female suspect is currently being held without bond pending her court date. The male suspect is still at large.
The restaurant says they are “devastated, but also deeply grateful to their staff, guests, and the local authorities who responded immediately. Our L’Auberge family is strong, and we will continue to fight for justice and the safe recovery of these extraordinary wines.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.
