The only wine club that exclusively ships Napa Valley red wine to its members, Robb Report 672 Napa Valley Wine Club is busily preparing its first selection of the year. This quarter's stars include a Cab-heavy cuvée from Stags Leap District, St. Helena, and Howell Mountain, and two stellar single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. A lineup that is typical of the bottles members anticipate four times a year, these under-the-radar picks are sourced by club director Dave Shefferman, who spends his days scouring Napa for the finest wines from producers you might be currently unfamiliar with but whom you should definitely get to know.
Club 672 is named for the number of bottles a standard wine pallet can hold and is limited to that many members. Catering to what our readers love, the club is the only one around that offers nothing but Napa Valley red wine. Think outstanding examples of bottlings from Napa's top-tier single vineyards or blends that combine the best grapes from the finest sites, all of which are produced in small quantities, often just a handful of barrels. Normally the type of wines that only wineries' private club members or local insiders have access to, these exceptional offerings are chosen from Shefferman's wide network of wine country vintners and winemakers. The club's scouting process sounds like a dream job: Shefferman attends wine-country events, tastes with winemakers, and meets with winery owners throughout the entire year to bring only the best to members. While many wine clubs have a single buyer making all purchasing decisions, Club 672 has wines vetted by a tasting panel of sommeliers, winemakers, and industry members with WSET credentials. Starting with hundreds of possible options, the team narrows its list down to a few optimal bottles, which are then blind-tasted to eliminate any preconceived notions about the brand, winemaker, or even label design. The singular focal point of the tasting is the quality of the wine.
Once the panel has selected about 20 finalists, we taste the wines and help decide which three club members will most enjoy. (Full disclosure, we also write the tasting cards included with each shipment and the producer profiles on the club website, but we do not receive any additional compensation from the wine club.) Shipments include six bottles total, two of each selection, so members have one to open now and one to cellar for savoring at a later date. Curated and sent four times a year, each six-bottle pack is priced at between $550 and $650, including shipping, for an average price of $100 per bottle. This quarter's choices are must-haves for wine lovers seeking the best Napa Valley reds. Considering the price of many Napa Cabs, this is an incredible deal for limited-quantity, difficult-to-source Napa reds. Here's a look at what to expect in March: