Wine worth 1.5 million euros stolen from a legendary restaurant in Paris

In France, 83 bottles of collectible wine worth more than 1.5 million euros were stolen from the legendary Tour d'Argent ("Silver Tower") restaurant, Le Parisien reported. The loss of valuable drinks was discovered in January during an inventory of the restaurant's cellars, which store more than 300,000 bottles of wine from different eras. So far, the police have found no signs of a break-in or other clues pointing to the possible thieves. The restaurant is located on the roof of a building on the Quai de la Tournelle in Paris, and its cellar extends several hundred meters along the Seine River. Among other things, it stores Romanée-Conti wines. The price of a bottle of this wine from the 1999 vintage can reach several tens of thousands of euros. In 2022-2023, the restaurant was closed for extensive renovations and reopened in October 2023.
The Silver Tower is one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in Paris, famous for its duck dishes. According to legend, in the place where the modern establishment is located, as early as the 1580s there was an inn where chef Rurto prepared exquisite bird pâtés. One day King Henry IV of Navarre stopped at the inn and, after tasting Rurto's pâtés, ordered them to be delivered to the court. Later, Cardinal Richelieu, the Marquise de Pompadour and other legendary historical figures enjoyed dining at the Silver Tower. In the 20th century, the restaurant was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Paul McCartney. The Silver Tower is also believed to be the prototype of Auguste Gusteau's restaurant from the cartoon Ratatouille. In July 2023, it was reported that thieves broke into a wine shop in Spain's Costa Brava region and stole nine bottles of expensive wine in front of customers and a salesperson. The total value of the stolen goods is 117,100 euros. /BGNES