Wine stolen from French Laundry recovered in North Carolina

Jan 23, 2015

(NVR) - Investigators have recovered the bulk of the premium wine bottles stolen from The French Laundry on Christmas Day, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office. No arrests have been made.

After weeks of investigation, detectives on Monday flew to Greensboro, North Carolina, where they recovered the wine bottles, said Napa County Sheriff’s Capt. Doug Pike.

Sheriff’s officials did not disclose exactly how many bottles were recovered and flown back Napa County or how the wine was traced back to North Carolina.

The investigation continues in collaboration with state and federal law enforcement officials, Pike said in a written statement.

The wine, with an estimated retail value of about $300,000, was reported missing Dec. 26 after an employee discovered someone had broken into the famed Yountville Michelin-starred restaurant. The suspect – or suspects – broke into the building sometime after 2 p.m. on Christmas Day, Pike said. The alarm system had not been set.

The stolen wine was considered among the best in the world, including dozens of bottles of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and five bottles of Screaming Eagle cabernet from the 1990s and 2010.

The French Laundry charges $5,750 for a glass of 1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Richebourg, according to the wine list posted on the restaurant’s website. The other missing Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wines were from other vineyards, including La Tache, Grands Echezeaux and Romanee Conti.

The French Laundry was closed while it undergoes renovations. Its last dinner was served Dec. 23. Thomas Keller Restaurant Group’ French Laundry team has opened “Ad Lib” a “casual American pop-up” at Silverado Resort and Country Club’s Royal Oak Room.

At the time the theft was discovered, Chef Thomas Keller, chef and proprietor at Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, said he trusted law enforcement with the investigation.


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