2022 Off the Cuff Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley 750 ml

On a recent Sunday, we found ourselves at a noisy watch party at this winemaker’s house in St. Helena, with a back-patio, big-screen view of the latest drama-filled bout between the Bills and the Chiefs. With the Buffalo Bills playing suffocating man coverage, we were feeling lucky.

Casually turning to the winemaker, we made a risky offer: “If the Bills win by more than a field goal, we get a cut of that 2022 stuff you’ve been dangling in front of us for our private label project.”

We knew one of the elite Napa estates she works with had seen a generous harvest off its three-acre estate vineyard. This is the kind of luxury label that practices a bit of manufactured scarcity—usually a great opportunity for us.

Our not-so-subtle pressure campaign to get a barrel into the hands of our members  under an NDA had so far gone nowhere. The moment presented a chance to trigger her competitive juices and maybe get the deal over the finish line.

Our proposition was met by a laugh, then a moment of thought, and finally a promise extracted for our end of the bargain. If Mahomes managed to march down the field to another victory—as he had in every other previous game this season—we’d be on the hook for a few cases of one of her favorite wines: a VERY expensive Grand Cru Burgundy currently sitting in our warehouse.

Well, if you were among the many viewers of that game, you know how it ended, and why we’re able to share with you today a wine no one else has, few know about, and even fewer will get to enjoy.