The Estate
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Format: TV series (10 episodes)
Logline
A legendary winemaker from Napa Valley mysteriously vanishes overnight and it doesn't take long before some of his ruthless associates and relatives start fighting eagerly over his prestigious estate, rather than helping his wife, daughter and two sons in their relentless efforts to find out why he disappeared without a trace.
Plot summary
During the night following the release party of his new outstanding wine, the charismatic and wealthy owner of a very prestigious winery in Napa Valley (Gregory Montelli) disappears with no reason and without a trace. While his caring family (wife Emmeline, daughter Alexia and sons Dave and Terry) and their new daring lawyer struggle to figure out what happened and how to handle the situation, several of the entrepreneur’s unscrupulous and greedy partners – as well as some of his closest relatives – start fighting fiercely over his precious property and seem to care more about who next will seat in the winemaker’s empty chair. Things get even more complicated for his troubled entourage when an unexpected scandal involving counterfeited wines breaks out. And to top it all off, an intriguing detective surfaces, investigating a 25‐year‐old suspected murder. The fate of the vintner’s empire will remain highly uncertain as betrayals and alliances come one after another, until the astounding truth about his disappearance finally emerges.
Episodes
- S01E01: Into Thin Air
- S01E02: Vacancy
- S01E03: Grapes of Wrath
- S01E04: The Cover-Up
- S01E05: In Absentia
- S01E06: A Bad Harvest
- S01E07: In Vino Veritas
- S01E08: Drunk in Love
- S01E09: Drop Dead
- S01E10: Bacchus v. The People
More about the story (warning: contains spoilers - select highlighted text to read hidden information!)
The general storyline of this series is a bit unconventional, as one of the key characters is absent most of the time: the legendary winemaker indeed disappears inexplicably at the beginning of the first episode, which causes a lot of trouble since he is by far the main shareholder of his prestigious winery. The mystery is then unraveled step by step in each episode. And in the last episode set almost one year later, he returns, safe and sound. But by the time he comes back, he is officially dead! Indeed, his own family managed in the meantime (not without difficulties) to obtain a Court order declaring him dead "in absentia", as it was the only way for his wife and children to inherit his shares of the company in an attempt to regain control of the situation. Besides, before the end of the season, the audience will obviously learn in details how and why he disappeared. But the return of the "dead-and-alive" winemaker does certainly not mean that the story is over. As a matter of fact, what he discovered during his forced exile will have serious consequences for him, his family and his discomposed associates. Also, the story voluntarily unfolds over the course of one year. Thus, the main characters, places and action follow the seasons, as if to echo naturally the vineyard’s lifecycle. In autumn, things fall apart. They freeze or die during winter. Before coming back to life (spring) and being fruitful again (summer). If you want to get more details, contact me!
What is it like?
Think of the TV series "Empire" based in the wine-making business. But not as a soap opera, more in the genre of "House of Cards".
Playlist
This is just to give a better impression of the mood of this story.
