Customer reviews of Vignerons d’Exception

Dear Sir, first of all, thank you for your trust and for your constructive comment. I hope at least that you were satisfied with the wines, as we have chosen to deliver by "courier" rather than "express". I'll try to explain the reasons for this choice in all sincerity. Courier service is the only way to respect the original packaging, ensuring direct provenance from the estates, and also respecting the stamped wooden crates that our customers are so fond of. This carrier - Schenker - isn't "express", nor is it perfect, but it's the only one specialized in wine on the one hand, and which on the other hand doesn't impose costly repackaging in specific packaging adapted to mechanization and, what's more, very little respect for the environment. Fortunately, this carrier, which has specialized in wine for decades, is also the best equipped in terms of air-conditioned or double-insulated and ventilated warehouses, where the wines spend most of their time during the week of delivery (your 1st order was delivered in two days in the Paris region, as soon as we received your payment cheque, but your second order for the Lot department, not very direct from Burgundy, took a week). Not all carriers have the same storage conditions adapted to wine... and some sometimes leave the wines in a non-air-conditioned "relais colis" for you to collect them if the recipient is absent, without asking your opinion... not great either for sulphur-free wines.
Having said that, it's true that delivery is a real concern for all wine sellers, and that the ideal solution doesn't exist... or else it's too expensive, and no customer would agree to pay the price, which you already find too high: €16.6 ex VAT, or €20 incl. VAT, is what it actually costs to deliver a case of 6 bottles in France. It costs much more when we deliver several cartons. But we only charge this flat rate of €20, whatever the quantity ordered, and offer it for orders of €400 or more. That's why our customers sometimes get together several people to reach the "franco" rate. You're right, we may seem expensive, and other sites charge less, but lose money on this service. We can't afford this luxury if we want to keep our prices competitive and, above all, keep doing what we do for the long term. At least, to make these invoicing conditions clear, we "show our colors" on the home page of our site and in all our Thursday newsletters...
On the subject of "natural" wines, you're absolutely right there too: unsulphured wines run a high risk of not being able to withstand temperatures >14°C, which is why we don't offer them, apart from one exception out of our 750 references: JC Lapalu's "tentation" cuvée, which I adore... (He's such a master of winemaking that there's virtually no risk, and we've never had a problem). Well-made, "low-sulphite" wines are "low-sulphite" precisely so that they can be transported at normal temperatures and not suffer any deviations in the event of less-than-optimal storage conditions. In fact, most of our cuvées have very little sulfur, but our very elitist selection at least has this merit: all the wines are well made and present little risk of deviations, thanks to the great mastery of their makers from vine to bottle. Of course, there's always a risk, like cork taint... and many other lesser-known risks, too. In short, we do our best... and try as far as possible to deliver wines without the slightest shock. We keep deliveries to a minimum in hot weather, and so on. But it's true, it's not easy! In any case, I want you to know that we do everything we can to deliver faster when our customers ask us to, and to satisfy them whatever the request. I'm sure we'll manage to lower our delivery costs and improve our lead times over time... Thank you again for your trust and understanding, and I hope to see you soon! Tristan Depauw, founder.