Welcome to Charles Neal Selections

Charles Neal, an author and importer based in San Francisco, California, is a leading authority on single-estate and bottled French brandies from Armagnac, Cognac and Calvados. These spirits are some of the most natural brandies available, made without the usage of boisé, sugar, or caramel. They are hand-bottled directly from cask in extremely limited quantities.

In addition to these spirits, Charles imports wonderful wines from nearly all the French wine regions. He specializes in wines from Southwestern France (the Pyrenées), Eastern France (the Alps), and wines produced from France's Rhône Valley. He has sought out wines from relatively unknown appellations like Madiran, Cahors, Jurançon, Gaillac, Côtes du Frontonnais, Marcillac, and Béarn, as well as the unheralded Alpine crus of Chignin, Arbin, Apremont, Ripaille, and Marestel.

Throughout the pages of this website you can explore the beauty of France's wine country and get to know the people who produce some of the most exquisite wines on Earth.

By law, Charles Neal Selections can only import and distribute wines and spirits to licensed wholesalers, retail stores and restaurants. But you can use this site as a guide to choosing the finest wines and spirits from France from your local retailer or favorite five-star restaurant. Additionally, enjoy a guided tour of the brandy-producing regions of France in the four-part video, Beyond the Snifter.

Believe it or not, a fellow wine scout and myself were driving toward Marseille in February when we pulled off the autoroute to grab a coffee at a truck stop. As we were parking, my companion demanded that I stop the car and back up immediately. Low and behold, spray painted on a wall just behind the truck stop was one of the more curious tags I had ever seen. I knew some people were beginning to appreciate the wines, but an AOC guys...c'mon! In any event, I kid you not, the graffiti on the wall was there when we arrived. Now who in France would write something like that next to the highway?

Bon voyage, and thank you for your interest
in Charles Neal Selections!