Did you know that the cellar has a mini-museum?

The Marie Blanc Museum is a tiny private museum inside the famous wine caller, hosting some of the rarest and most special bottles held by the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.

The wine cellar of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo includes a special 16,000 square foot space referred to as “the museum”, honouring the name of Marie Blanc, where the bottles remain under a thick layer of dust. This is a section where time stops and one can find the most exclusive vintage wines, cognacs, and champagnes of the world. If one can afford, some of these rarities in the cellar are such as the oldest vintage cognac from the 18th century, or extra-rare wines such as a bottle of Château Bel Air Marquis D’Aligre 1850, Château Gruad Larose 1865, or Margaux’s 1945. Yet, for example, the Yquem’s 1890 will never be offered for consumption.

Bottles from the Marie Blanc Museum are more than just drinkables, they have a fascinating history. During the German occupation in World War II, the most important bottles were famously concealed behind seven layers of less important inventory and empty bottles. This camouflage protected 20,000 precious bottles, the hotel’s silverware, and the fortunes of some of the most important residents, from looters during World War II.

When the cellar was reopened in 1945 by HSH Prince Rainier III and special guest Sir Winston Churchill, they celebrated the successful protection of the Marie Blanc Museum by opening up an 1811 rum. Even today, this is the room where the rarest vintages are stored.