$300K in Stolen Wine Found on Opposite Coast

Stash from California's French Laundry recovered in North Carolina
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 24, 2015 9:47 AM CST
$300K in Stolen Wine Found on Opposite Coast
The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, Calif.   (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Nearly 80 bottles of wine valued at least $300,000 made it clear across the country after being stolen from a posh California restaurant, but the vino is back in safe hands now. The Napa County Sheriff's Department says wine stolen from the world-renowned French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., has been recovered in Greensboro, NC, reports the Los Angeles Times. Or most of it anyway: "There a few bottles still outstanding," says a deputy. No arrests have been made, and authorities aren't providing many details because the investigation is continuing.

The AP reports that the wine turned up in a private cellar, but it had no specifics beyond that. The story quotes an industry expert who says that it's possible some of the bottles had digital tracking devices. No wonder: The bounty included Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which can fetch $10,000 a bottle. Authorities previously declared that it looked like an inside job, though owner/chef Thomas Keller said that didn't mean much: It "could have been the linen delivery guys, the wine delivery guys, and any of the people who service the restaurant, as well as everybody who ever worked at one of our restaurants over the years. That’s a lot of people.” (More wine stories.)

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