Vintner Select Wines from France:

Vintner Select’s French wine portfolio is assembled from estates represented by veteran importer Alain Junguenet as well as from growers assembled exclusively for Vintner Select by our own David Schildknecht.  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.

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 remains all the more true today.

“… 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.”

The Wine Advocate 10/96

David Schildknecht’s fifteen years as a retailer won him a national reputation including profiles by Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate (June, 1990) and Matt Kramer in the Wine Spectator (October, 1995).  Since joining Vintner Select in June, 1997, David has continued to scour France, honing our portfolio and bringing back exceptional wines, many of them previously obscure even at home. In December, 2004, David – who is also internationally known for writing about the wines of Austria and Germany – was named as one of the Wine Advocate’s “Personalities of the Year”

“His passion for great wine has never flagged and he’s always been one of the exceptionally
rare people in the wine industry willing to acquire, promote, and sell wines from little-
known regions. … David’s always been avant-garde and risk-taking.  Working
hand-in-hand with excellent brokers such as Peter Vezan and Thomas Calder,
David brings to the United States outstanding wines from areas that
almost nobody knows … .”

The Wine Advocate 12/04