The French Laundry has three Michelin stars

A Christmas Day break-in at the fabled Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry drained it of a small fortune in very fine wines, its chef said Wednesday.

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The 40-50 bottles pinched from the restaurant in Yountville, California – mostly of French Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) and cult American wine Screaming Eagle – were worth more than $50,000, the restaurant said on Twitter.

The Los Angeles Times, however, put the total figure lost at more than $300,000.

"On Christmas day @_TFL_ was the victim of a robbery. Specific wines of specific value were stolen: DRC & Screaming Eagle," chef Thomas Keller said on Twitter.

"We have complete trust in the authorities leading the investigation & welcome any information our community may have," Keller added.

“We are confident that if/when any stolen bottles appear in public they will immediately raise red flags."

Keller, one of the top chefs in the United States, runs the establishment – one of just 13 US restaurants to receive Michelin's coveted three-star rating – as well as the Per Se restaurant in New York.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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