Premiers crus (2015)
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Directors
Cast
Gérard Lanvin, Jalil Lespert, Alice Taglioni, Laura Smet, Lannick Gautry
A Paris-based wine expert returns to his family vineyard and attempts to save it from financial collapse.
The story
The Maréchal estate, a prestigious Burgundy vineyard producing grand cru wines, is on the verge of bankruptcy after years of declining quality and sales. Its owner, François, has lost interest in the business, while his son Charlie has built a career in Paris as a respected wine expert and has no experience making wine. When a trustee takes charge of the estate’s finances, Charlie is persuaded to leave Paris and return home. He must try to revive the vineyard despite his father’s distrust, family disagreements, and unpredictable weather, with support from his brother-in-law Marco and childhood friend Blanche, heiress to a neighboring rival estate.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Maréchal estate is one of Burgundy’s most prestigious vineyards: planted with four hectares of vines in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, it produces grand cru wines from Aloxe-Corton. The estate has belonged to the same family since the Revolution, but its current owner, François Maréchal, has lost interest in running it ever since his wife left him and his son, Charlie, refused to become a winemaker like his ancestors, choosing instead a career as a wine expert in Paris, where he publishes a renowned guide. The wine’s quality has been declining for several years: the cellars are full, and the wine is no longer selling. The estate is now on the verge of bankruptcy. Having defaulted on his payments, François Maréchal is forced to entrust the management of the estate to a trustee tasked with turning its finances around; otherwise, the vineyard will be sold to the Japanese or, worse still, to the neighboring rival estate, Maubuisson. Initially reluctant, Charlie Maréchal, the eldest son, is persuaded to leave his comfortable life in Paris and return to the family estate. An excellent judge of wine but with no experience as a winemaker, he gropes his way forward and imposes some risky ideas. However, he can count on the help of his brother-in-law, Marco, and of an old childhood friend, Blanche Maubuisson, heiress to the neighboring estate. Despite the fickle weather, his father’s distrust and resentment, and family disagreements and conflicts, Charlie will try to save the estate by producing a truly worthy grand cru from Aloxe-Corton.
Genres
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