Étoile, Napa Valley's only fine-dining restaurant located within a winery, will close its doors tonight after 37 luxurious years. Domaine Chandon, the American outpost of Moët & Chandon, has been home to the restaurant since it opened in 1977 as The Restaurant at Domaine Chandon. As Inside Scoop reports, and Étoile chef Perry Hoffman confirms, the rumors that have been swirling for the past year are true, and "lease problems" are the impetus for the shutter. According to Hoffman, "Chandon and I tried tirelessly to creatively structure an agreement for a long term lease of the restaurant space," but complicated ABC provisions regarding the relationship between a winery and its food operations put the kibosh on the whole deal.
The restaurant, known as Étoile for the past ten years, opened almost four decades ago as an oasis of fine dining, long before the Napa Valley (and Yountville in particular) became international destinations for upscale eateries. Since then an impressive lineup of chefs has passed through the doors, including Philippe Jeanty, who now owns nearby Bistro Jeanty. Hoffman, who has been the chef at Étoile for the past eight years, also earned the restaurant a Michelin star from 2006-2012, and plenty of other critical acclaim. In the wake of the closure, the restaurant space will become an extension of Domaine Chandon's tasting room, with plans to open for Club Chandon members in spring 2015.
Napa native Hoffman has not yet determined where he'll next ply his talents, but plans to stick around for a couple of weeks to help Chandon make the transition from elegant restaurant to expanded tasting room. His last day on the property will be January 16.