Rudy Kurniawan’s Burgundy vineyard stake sold by US government
–Rudy Kurniawan Burgundy vineyard stake sold by officials to de Montille family
-Kurniawan had joined a consortium to help fund the original vineyard purchase
Etienne de Montille confirmed to Decanter.com that he and his family have bought Kurniawan’s former stake in the Burgundy vineyard venture for around $726,000.
De Montille paid the US government for the vineyard stake. Officials seized Kurniawan’s property after his conviction and subsequent 10-year prison sentence for making and selling fakes of some of the world’s finest wines.
Kurniawan’s penchant for fast cars and luxury watches has been well-documented, but his part-ownership of Burgundy vineyards was not such common knowledge.
In 2006, Kurniawan joined a consortium, including de Montille and known as Etienne & Partners, to help finance the purchase of 42ha of Burgundy vineyards, including Beaune premiers crus. One highly regarded vineyard is Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts. The vines were bought from the Thomas-Moillard estate and Kurniawan took a stake of nearly 23%.
