Customer reviews of Vignerons d’Exception

Dear Sir, first of all thank you for your confidence, we hope that the wines please you. Indeed, it is very difficult to "control" the deliveries. In Paris, we have chosen a carrier "on a human scale" who agrees to go upstairs and downstairs to the cellar, which is rare. He specializes in wine and respects our boxes, even in his warehouse, which is perfectly adapted to our storage requirements. We also ask him to call systematically to agree on a day and a delivery slot - admittedly a fairly wide one. Sometimes things go wrong... and you've obviously been a victim of this, for which we apologize. As this carrier is not computerized like UPS or other large companies, it is not always perfect. Indeed, punctuality at a precise time for an appointment is impossible to obtain from any carrier - especially in Paris - since it depends on the progress of previous deliveries, and of course on traffic. In short, even if 99% of our deliveries go smoothly, we do our best to ensure that the "victims" of approximations and errors are finally satisfied. We sincerely hope you'll give us another chance to do better next time. Happy tasting!

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.

Dear Sir, thank you for your comment. Overseas deliveries are made by express transport, in special packaging and with appropriate insurance. It is therefore very expensive, which is why we only do it on request. Best regards. Céline

Dear Sir, first of all thank you for not rating our site badly in terms of stars despite the inconvenience suffered during our deliveries. I'm confused to discover that the delivery man doesn't call you the day before, although we have checked, we have systematically written your request to call the day before on the delivery instructions. We have contacted the head of your department and are waiting for a written commitment from him, which simply corresponds to our contract with this service provider. This service provider, however, gives us satisfaction in all the other departments in the Paris region (he's the only one who agrees, for example, to take the wines down to the cellar and take them upstairs...). In short, we've taken up the problem and will do everything we can to ensure that next time, if you still trust us, the carrier respects your wish to call the day before. Thank you again for your confidence, Tristan Depauw.

Dear Sir, thank you for your comment. We are contacting the winemaker to find out if he has had the same problem with the "Effusion" 2013 vintage (when we tasted this wine, it was not oxidized), and will get back to you by email with more precise answers. Tristan Depauw.

Dear Sir, Please accept our apologies for the absence of a telephone call the day before. For Paris and the surrounding area, where you live, we have found an efficient courier who is one of the few to agree to go upstairs and downstairs. This usually goes well, and we have an agreement with him to call the day before to arrange a time directly with our customers. Unfortunately, we've discovered in your message that it's been several times now that he hasn't complied with this arrangement, and is obviously taking his chances" by dropping in directly... We're very sorry about this, and for your next orders, we'll make it clear to him that this call the day before is essential, which we would have done immediately if you'd informed us of your first disappointment. I promise you, if you place your trust in us again, we'll make it very clear to our partner that calling the day before is essential. Thank you again for your confidence, and enjoy your wine tasting! Tristan Depauw

We are grateful for your feedback, which will enable us to make further progress. You have received unpacked bottles, and you understand that it is not in our interest to ship the bottles in this way, as we bear all the costs of any broken bottles and the new delivery to replace them. You are right, this is totally unprofessional, and we apologize to you. You're right, it's totally unprofessional, and we apologize profusely. We're very sorry about this malfunction, which can have two explanations: 1. either it's due to an order picker who didn't respect our very strict cardboard packing methods: double layer of recycled cardboard under and on top of each layer of bottles. Unfortunately, this was not the case for you. This is a first, and we hope a last too. We're currently investigating how a packer could have "forgotten" the dividers... and whether other customers have fallen victim to such an aberration, which doesn't seem to be the case at the moment. 2.Another hypothesis would be that the initial "vignerons d'Exception" white cardboard box was torn by the local delivery agency, and that this agency used any cardboard box to repackage your bottles in any way and deliver them to you... Hoping sincerely that you will accept our apologies and understand that this is not a deliberate move. Yours sincerely The Vignerons d'Exception team.

Thank you for your comment. Deviations in sulfur-free wines do happen, as we agreed on the phone. Even though we take great care in preserving them in our Burgundy cellars. Yours sincerely The Vignerons d'Exception team.