6 Months Later, French Laundry Wine Thief Continues To Elude Arrest
YOUNTVILLE (CBS SF) - The search continues in Napa County for the grinch who stole a one-of-a-kind collection of wine from the French Laundry last Christmas.
Napa County Sheriff's officials say they've recovered almost all the wine that was stolen - but haven't yet caught the person who took it.
Someone kicked open the door to the wine cellar at the Yountville restaurant and got away with dozens of bottle worth an estimated $300,000.
It's thought that this was an inside job - because the alarm on the French Laundry's wine cellar was left off the day before the theft. The restaurant had been closed for renovation.
KCBS and Chronicle Insider Phil Mater reports in Monday's Matier and Ross column that the search remains a top priority for the Sheriff's Department.
And there are other agencies on the case - no word of which ones - but there's speculation it could be the FBI because the wine was taken across state lines. In January, three detectives flew to North Carolina to recover the stolen wine in an exchange brokered through a lawyers' office.
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