Vintner Select Wines from France:

Vintner Select’s French wine portfolio is assembled from estates represented by veteran importer Alain Junguenet ( Wines of France, Inc),  Vintner Select Imports, a portfolio of wines initially assembled  by David Schildknecht,  Cellar Door Selections  and Eric Solomon Selections. The guiding principles for all of these selections – whether from world-famous regions and vintners or obscure ones – are respect for the vine and its environment, scrupulous craftsmanship, and good value.

Vintner Select Imports is an exclusive collection of hand-picked , small family-owned estates originally assembled by David Schildknecht (now writer for Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate). Today, the portfolio continues to highlight exceptional wines sourced with the assistance of two excellent brokers Peter Vezan and Thomas Calder working with Katie Schoeny. From well-known wine regions, to emerging areas, the VSI portfolio represents a dynamic collection of France’s many wine offerings.

Alain Junguenet made a name for himself as a Grand Prix racecar driver, before turning his passion for wine and his friendship with many of France’s foremost vignerons into a second career that was to bring him much more notoriety. “The name Alain Junguenet on a bottle,” wrote Robert Parker in December, 1991, “is an indication of a fine wine that is probably under-valued in terms of its quality,” and that continues to remain true today.  Alain’s son, John Junguenet  is working closely with his father to continue in the tradition of sourcing high-quality, good value selections from across  France.

The October 1996 Wine Advocate States “… particularly [in] Châteauneuf du Pape and Languedoc-Roussillon, the quality of Junguenet’s portfolio stands out.  He was one of the first importers to recognize the vast unexploited potential that existed in these two regions.  In terms of importers he is “Mr. Châteauneuf du Pape,” with a portfolio … of serious estates making high quality wines.”

Cellar Door Selections, an importer who was founded in 2004, focuses on quality wines that reflect the style and tradition of their French regions with Les Jamelles as their leading brand.

Eric Solomon Selections, founded in 1989, is recognized as one of the top quality importers of French and Spanish wines in the US. He is also known for the custom cuvees he creates with his winemakers. These cuvees are consistently reviewed by the major wine publications as the best values in their particular categories. Vintner Select offers a limited selection of the portfolio’s French offerings.