A Good Year
In the prologue, a young Max Skinner, whose parents have died in an accident, spends his childhood summer holidays learning to appreciate the finer things in life at his Uncle Henry's vineyard estate in Provence in south-eastern France. Some 25 years later, Max is an unethical yet very successful hard-working London-based bond trader with a sense of humour.
Following his uncle's death, Max is the sole beneficiary of the French property. He travels to Provence to prepare a quick sale. Shortly after arriving he almost knocks a local café owner, Fanny Chenal, off her bicycle as a result of his careless driving. Subsequently, he discovers that his latest City financial stunt has caused real trouble for the owners of the trading company he works for, and the CEO orders him to return to London as soon as possible.
To assist in his planned sale of the property, Max hurriedly snaps some photos and in the process falls into an empty swimming pool. He is unable to escape until Fanny Chenal, driving by and spotting his rental car, appears and turns on the water supply in retaliation. This delay causes Max to miss his flight and, having failed to report to the directors in person, he is suspended from work and trading activities for one week.
On Henry's estate, Max must deal with a gruff, dedicated winemaker, Francis Duflot, who fears being separated from his precious vines. Duflot pays a vineyard inspector to tell Max that the soil is bad and the vines worthless.
In the meantime, they are surprised by the unexpected arrival of young Napa Valley oenophile Christie Roberts, who is backpacking through Europe and claims to be Henry's previously unknown illegitimate daughter. Like Max, Christie finds the house wine unpalatable but is impressed by Max's casual offering of the boutique Le Coin Perdu ("the lost corner") vintage, noting some intriguing characteristics. Max is concerned that she might lay claim to the estate and brusquely interrogates her during dinner at the Duflot house.
Max gets updates on office politics from his assistant Gemma, who warns him of the ambitious antics of other employees. To ensure he is not usurped by Kenny, his second-in-command in London, through whom Max continues to direct trades, Max intentionally gives the ambitious young trader bad advice, getting Kenny fired.
Max becomes enamoured with the beautiful, feisty café owner Fanny, who is rumoured to have sworn off men. He successfully woos Fanny into his bed, where she leaves him the next morning, expecting him to return to his life in London.
A disillusioned Christie also decides to move on. Max finds his uncle's memoirs, which contain proof of Christie's heritage. However, he bids her farewell while handing her an unexplained note inside a book she was reading. While informing Duflot of the pending estate sale, Max learns that the mysterious expensive Le Coin Perdu was made by Henry and Duflot with "illegal vines" from the estate, bypassing wine classification and appellation laws.
The estate is sold and Max returns to London where Sir Nigel, the company chairman, offers him a choice: "Money or your life" - either a discharge settlement, which includes "a lot of zeros," or the partnership in the trading firm, where he would then be "made for life". Max asks about Nigel's art in the conference room, which Fanny has a copy of in her restaurant. Upon Nigel's dismissive comment that the real one is kept in a vault and the $200,000 copy in the office is for show, Max reconsiders if he wants to still be like Nigel.
Max invalidates the estate's sale with the farewell letter he gave to Christie, which he forged, along with real photos confirming Christie as Henry's daughter with a valid claim to the estate (as a child Max signed cheques for his uncle, and is able to replicate his handwriting and signature).
He puts his London residence up for sale and returns to Provence, entering into a relationship with Fanny. Christie also returns and she and Francis jointly run the vineyard while trying to reconcile their vastly different philosophies of wine production. Meanwhile, Max is now able to focus his entire attention on Fanny.
romantic, flashback