£300,000 of Champagne get the Smash and Grab treatment

More than three and a half thousand bottles of Champagne worth €300,000 have been stolen from acclaimed grower Jacques Selosse. The Avize-based domaine lost well over 5% of its average annual production in the raid on Thursday night last week. Stolen bottles included the Initial cuvee, a blend of three vintages of Chardonnay, and Exquise, a Demi-Sec, each costing €57 per bottle ex-domaine. The top-of-the-line Substance Blanc de Blancs, made from multiple vintages, at €112 ex-domaine, was also among the stolen bottles that had been packed onto pallets for a shipment scheduled to leave for the US and Japan. Of equal concern to the domaine was the theft of some 16,000 labels and 12,000 neck labels, which could lead to the production of counterfeit bottles.