Episode list

Bordeaux-based enologist (wine expert) Benjamin Lebel interrupts work on his next original wine publication, assisted by haughty relative and eager Virgile, to identify a Grand Cru château from Pomerol for police detective Barbaroux. It's used as signature in a ritual, filling one glass more each time, at a serial killer's successive murder scenes and a wartime tomb. Although told by the rude inspector to butt out, Lebel, who also receives anonymous, old pictures of the victims, works out they all had something to do with World War II, which the château vintage dates from too, and possibly with Vichy collaboration.

Oenologue Benjamin Lebel, eagerly accompanied by his slick assistant Silvère, travels to the Cognac region to counsel a prospective Japanese buyer Hiroshi Tanaka about the possible take-over of legendary brandy family firm Aludel. He's shown the door by partner-siblings Pierre-François and Garance, but their apparently gay brother Baptiste, who has an eye on Silvère, shows Benjamin around. That night, Baptiste drowns in what may be an accident. Benjamin finds that his English old Paris flame 'Soho Rose' Shirley is involved, as well as her doted son Jonas and popular barman Gautier, as Baptiste was their bar's silent main investor, but also had more intimate relations. Only another murder convinces Barbaroux that Lebel stumbled upon another vipers nest, but it's not the last fatality.

Benjamin Lebel is startled to find his daughter Margaux back from New York, actually for her boyfriend, prestigious Château Belfleur's communications director Antoine Rinetti, whose proposal she announces to accept to spite daddy. For her sake, assistant Silvère is eager to help investigate the new ownership and wine-maker Séverin. Unlike Benjamin, his lover-colleague France Pelletier accepts to help the Russian mob-presumed owner Valéry Tchernakov research acquisition options. Shortly after, Rinaldi is fatally wounded by sports car sabotage, Margaux gets off lightly wounded. While Banjamin digs in the château's past and its present legacy, more criminal violence is lurking.

Benjamin was to prepare a Californian conference as key note speaker with his lover France, but she ends up writing the speech with his eager assistant Silvère as Lebel prefers more wine estate snooping. Denis and Jeanne Laville's wine-maker was murdered in their Pessac winery. The victim was co-heir to a tiny, yet potentially priceless breakaway top quality estate. Benjamin becomes a target as well as prime suspect while he and commissioner Barbaroux conduct parallel investigations for the families, staff and other players involved in shady games over potential takeovers and revenge, spiced with romantic liaisons and illegitimacy. Next murder victim is genealogist Francis Morin.