About JWS
Jeff Welburn found his calling in Los Angeles in the early ‘80s. Working in some of LA’s best restaurants, he discovered what good wine was all about. Jeff became an avid taster, developing a precocious proclivity for Burgundy while still in his early twenties, and was soon spending all of his hard-earned tips on Côte d’Or wines and every textbook published on the subject.
Jeff also became intrigued with the early efforts of a select few artisan winemakers on California’s Central Coast. Before long, he traded in his apron for a wine bag and began peddling wines from upstarts like Bob Lindquist of Qupé and Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. By the time Jeff launched Angeles Wine Agency in 1991, his portfolio also included the wines of Napa Valley friends Peter Franus and Jason Pahlmeyer, as well as those of John Alban in San Luis Obispo County.
Over the past two decades, Jeff has had the privilege of working with such legendary Burgundy vignerons as Henri Jayer, Jean-Nicolas Méo (Méo-Camuzet), Hubert Lignier and Lalou Bize-Leroy. He was instrumental in introducing the import portfolios of Neal Rosenthal, Martine Saunier and Italian specialist Leonardo LoCascio to California, and still takes pride in representng the all-star Châteauneuf-du-Pape collection of Alain Junguenet. In 2001, Jeff began sourcing and direct importing the wines of several small, artisan French domaines himself. Last year, this French import arm of Wine Agencies, Inc. blossomed into the independent national marketing company now known as JW Selections.