text: A Christmas Day robbery at Yountville’s storied French Laundry restaurant netted a king’s collection of fabulous wines worth at least $300,000. 
   
   The thieves, who jimmied a door at the wine room on the property, obviously knew exactly what they were going for. Most of the 76 bottles taken were from the Domaine de la Romanée Conti, including bottles from the fabled Burgundy estate’s Romanée Conti vineyard that are worth at least $15,000 each. 
   
   UPDATE: French Laundry burglary: 'It's only wine,' owner says 
   
   French Laundry chef and proprietor Thomas Keller took to Twitter, asking for help from the wine community in finding the thieves. 
   
   “On Christmas day, The French Laundry was the victim of a robbery. Specific wines of specific value were stolen (DRC & Screaming Eagle). We have complete trust in the authorities leading the investigation, and we welcome any information our community may have regarding the event. 
   
   French Laundry door The French Laundry The splintered door to the wine room at the French Laundry. The splintered door to the wine room at the French Laundry. (The French Laundry) 
   
   “We are confident that if and when any of the stolen bottles appear in public, they will immediately raise questions and red flags among the wine knowledgeable. 
   
   “The French Laundry wine program is, as many of you know, singular and distinct. We look forward to rebuilding our cellar in the meantime and plan to get to the bottom of this disheartening act immediately. 
   
   “Please contact media@tkrg.com with any information.” 
   
   The French Laundry, which just celebrated its 20th birthday this summer, is acknowledged to be one of the greatest restaurants in the world. It's one of only 13 in the United States that have earned three stars from the Michelin restaurant guide. Another is its East Coast sibling, Per Se. 
   
   The French Laundry in Yountville. Eric Risberg / Associated Press The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif. The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) 
   
   In a statement Tuesday morning, Keller added: “We are working with local law enforcement in this ongoing investigation and appreciate any information the community may have that could help us identify the offenders. We look forward to rebuilding our cellar and moving forward with The French Laundry’s kitchen remodel.” 
   
   Most of the wines taken were highly collectible and trade mostly on the private and auction markets. Prices fluctuate, but a rough value can be estimated from an analysis of similar bottles listed for sale at retail on the Wine Searcher website. 
   
   Retail prices, of course, are only a fraction of what the wines would sell for on a restaurant wine list. Typical restaurant mark-ups are two to three times retail, and with rare wines can be even higher. 
   
   Among the most valuable wines taken were bottles of DRC Romanée Conti from the vintages spanning 2004-2010, which range in price at retail from $11,000 to $15,000 per bottle. There were bottles of DRC’s La Tache from 1993 to 2010, which range in price from to $2,100 to $4,500 each. 
   
   The thieves also took several bottles of California cult Cabernet Sauvignon Screaming Eagle, with prices ranging from $2,100 to $7,500. 
   
   The French Laundry had just served its last meal on Christmas Eve before closing down for as long as six months or more for a complete kitchen remodel. 
   
   Here's a complete list of the wines taken: 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Grands Echezeaux” 2007 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Grands Echezeaux” 2008 
   
   3 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Grands Echezeaux” 2009 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Grands Echezeaux” 2010 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2003 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2005 
   
   3 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2006 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2007 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2008 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2009 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanée St. Vivant” 2010 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 1988 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 2002 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 2005 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 2006 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 2008 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 2009 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Richebourg” 2010 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 1993 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 1996 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 1999 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2002 
   
   1 bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2004 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2005 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2006 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2007 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2008 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2009 
   
   2 bottles Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “La Tâche” 2010 ||||| Update, 12/31: The Chronicle’s full news story is here. 
   
   *** 
   
   On Christmas Day, an unknown visitor allegedly broke into the French Laundry. But rather than just eat some cookies, the intruder — or intruders — made off with some of the four-star restaurant’s most expensive wines. 
   
   The restaurant — which closed for its long-awaited kitchen remodel on Saturday — released the below statement tonight. Thomas Keller tweeted out an abbreviated version as well. 
   
   On Christmas day, The French Laundry was the victim of a robbery. Specific wines of specific value were stolen (DRC & Screaming Eagle). We have complete trust in the authorities leading the investigation, and we welcome any information our community may have regarding the event. We are confident that if and when any of the stolen bottles appear in public, they will immediately raise questions and red flags among the wine knowledgeable. The French Laundry wine program is, as many of you know, singular and distinct. We look forward to rebuilding our cellar in the meantime and plan to get to the bottom of this disheartening act immediately. Please contact media@tkrg.com with any information. 
   
   No further details are available at this point, according to the restaurant. This post will be updated accordingly. 
   
   Also, the French Laundry would not confirm exactly which bottles were stolen, or how many. Screaming Eagle is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa; Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is an estate in Burgundy. For those curious about the general price point of the wines in question, here are the restaurant’s prices for bottles of those labels, from its online wine list: 
   
   Screaming Eagle 2002 $6500 
   
   Screaming Eagle 2010 $3500 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1988 $5750 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1998 $3950 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1999 $7950 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2007 $3250 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2008 $3500 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2009 $4500 
   
   Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2010 $3950 
   
   This is the restaurant’s damaged door: 
   
   A photo posted by The French Laundry (@_tfl_) on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:06pm PST 
   
   
   
   
   
   Update, 12/30, 9:10 a.m.: 
   
   In total, 76 bottles have been reported missing. These are the bottles: 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Grands Echezeaux 2007 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Grands Echezeaux 2008 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Grands Echezeaux 2009 3 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Grands Echezeaux 2010 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2003 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2005 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2006 3 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2007 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2008 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2009 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee St. Vivant 2010 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg 1988 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg Grand Cru 2002 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg 2005 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg 2006 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg 2008 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg 2009 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Richebourg 2010 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 1993 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 1996 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 1999 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tâche Grand Cru 2002 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2004 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2005 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2006 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2007 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2008 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2009 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la La Tache 2010 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 2004 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 2005 1 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Grand Cru 2006 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 2007 3 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 2008 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 2009 2 
   
   Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 2010 2 
   
   Mugnier Jacques-Frederic Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale 750 2005 2 
   
   Mugnier Jean-Jacques-Frédéric Nuits-St. Georges Clos de la Maréchale 750 2008 2 
   
   Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1992 1 
   
   Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1995 1 
   
   Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1998 1 
   
   Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1999 1 
   
   Screaming Eagle Cabernet 2010 1 
   
   Moet & Chandon Champagne Brut Grand Cru Cuvée Dom Perignon 1500 2004 5 
   
   · Previously: The French Laundry readies for its remodel, temporary closure and more [Inside Scoop]
target: – Burglars who knew their wine made off with nearly 80 bottles from a high-end California restaurant. How high-end? Figure at least $300,000 worth of vino, reports the Los Angeles Times. The break-in occurred Christmas Day at the Michelin-starred French Laundry in the Napa region, and some of the bottles taken—specifically those from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti—are worth around $15,000. Chef and proprietor Thomas Keller asked the wine community via Twitter to keep an eye out for the stolen bottles. The restaurant had closed the previous night ahead of a renovation that's expected to take about six months, and thieves simply jimmied open the door to the wine room to collect their loot. You can see the full list of the 76 bottles stolen at the San Francisco Chronicle's Inside Scoop blog.