Aged Cabernet Series Wine Club Review

Aged Cabernet Wine Club Review

Last Updated: Septempber 27, 2019 / Original Review: October 7, 2010 by WineClubReviews.net

In this review: What is The California Wine Club? · Wine Review · Membership Benefits · Who Should Join? · Gift Review

We received this shipment from The California Wine Club in September, 2019.

The California Wine Club has been sending great wines produced by California’s small family wineries for over 25 years. They’re very good at it, especially when it comes to gift giving. Long-standing relationships with wineries and respect from the wine world gives them access to small-production wines that are practically impossible to find anywhere other than the winery.

Aged Cabernet Wine Club Options

The Aged Cab Series is one of The California Wine Club's luxury-level wine clubs. Each box features two bottles of perfectly cellared and aged Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California. Each selection showcases the winery and winemaking which created it. Here are the ways you can customize your membership:

• Choose to have shipments sent monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.
• Pre-pay for gifts — or yourself — and save.

Who Should Join The California Wine Club Aged Cab Series?

When it comes to paying for premium wine, it can be hard to tell the difference between wine that’s been overly hyped (and then over priced) and one that’s genuinely outstanding. That’s where a trusted company who stands by their selections with a “Love It” guarantee comes in. Why risk buying from a retailer who won’t replace wine you don’t like when you can be sure to enjoy what you get from The California Wine Club?

This wine of the month club is perfect for:

• Napa Cab lovers who haven’t discovered the joy (or the patience) of aging their wine yet.
• Giving as a gift — they’ve really nailed gift presentation and ease of gifting. Anyone who receives this gift will be thrilled.

Maybe aged Cabernet isn’t exactly the sort of luxury red wine club you were interested in trying or giving. For younger, but equally bold and interesting red wines, try the Signature Series from The California Wine Club instead.

Aged Cabernet Wine Review

A shipment we received in February 2015

A shipment we received in September 2016

More than 10 years ago when we started this website, The California Wine Club was one of the first we reviewed. In the intervening time we’ve sampled shipments from the Aged Cabernet Series periodically and something that has never changed is the high standard for quality set by this club level.

There are some really important things to know about aged wine, and specifically aged Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. We relied on the information provided in The California Wine Club’s Uncorked magazine and this terrific article by Lettie Teague at The Wall Street Journal.

• Wine is “alive” and it goes through stages of aging. Sometimes it’s closed (not showing well), tight (tannic and hard), or ideally open with all of that lush texture and flavor that is so prized. Wines even experience awkward phases like teenagers.
• As wine ages, the aromas and flavors change. The tannins and acid smooth out, and if properly vinified in just the right oak barrels, a rich texture emerges. Aromas and flavors common to aged Napa Cab include: herbs, violets, espresso, spices, tobacco, leather, hickory, cedar, dried fruits, vanilla, and caramel.
  
  Insider tip: One of the great perks of this wine club is the fidelity to the process of aging. In each issue of Uncorked, The California Wine Club includes the tasting notes from the winemaker for both the original release and updated version for how the wine is tasting when you receive it.
• Not all Napa Cabs are the same. Each wine region (American Viticultural Region) within Napa has its own “typical” flavors and aromas. Rutherford, for example, is known for its “Rutherford Dust,” an old but still often-used term to describe the texture and complex flavors in Cabs from this AVA.
• You don’t need to know all of this! The experts at The California Wine Club select Cabs that are at peak and ready to drink now. Some will continue to age gracefully for another 30 years, but others will start to degrade within a year or so. It is recommended that you drink the wines from this club within a year or two of receiving them.

The most recent box we received (their 2019 Holiday shipment) featured the 2011 Young Ridge Winery Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2010 Vineyard {511} Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Here are the details from their Uncorked magazine which accompanies each shipment.

Some examples of other recent wineries and wines sent to Aged Cabernet wine club members include:

Young Ridge Winery. “Picture this: a small family estate with a 2-acre vineyard sitting high above Napa and Carneros. Leroy and Patty Young purchased this ideal spot for Cabernet Sauvignon back in 1979, before much of Napa had been converted to vineyards and wineries. The little vineyard produced its first 200 cases of the Young Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet in 1995. Today, with Winemaker Julianna Beckman Gosling, Young Ridge handcrafts 400 to 500 cases of their Estate Cabernet each year. Young Ridge Vineyards & Winery only produces wine from fruit that Leroy grows himself. He is meticulous in his planting, pruning, and picking. The expertly crafted wines are aged for at least two years in French oak.” — The California Wine Club

Shipped: A special opportunity to study aging, the first Young Ridge shipment included a three-bottle vertical — from years 2008, 2009, and 2010 — of their Premium Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2019 Holiday shipment includes the 2011 vintage. ($75 each)

The Corley Family and Monticello Vineyards. “Monticello’s founder Jay Corley fashioned his winery paying homage to Jefferson’s famous estate and Jefferson’s keen interest in wine and food. The Corley Family Estate bottlings have amassed numerous 90+ point ratings, been served multiple times at the White House and gifted to Oscar nominees.” — The California Wine Club

Shipped: A special opportunity for a horizontal tasting — one bottle each from different vineyards from the same year. The Corley Family shipment included a 2011 vintage bottle from three of their superior Napa Cabernet vineyards: 2011 Yewell Vineyard in St. Helena, 2011 Tietjen Vineyard Rutherford, and 2011 State Lane Vineyard in Yountville. ($85 each)

Stormy Weather. “A love of Napa Valley Cabernet led Cameron Woodbridge to join his brother Jayson, Founder and Winemaker of super-luxury Napa Cabernet brand Hundred Acre, for “just for one harvest” in 2004. “In 2005, I joined my brother’s winemaking team and began my education. Under the watchful eye and expert guidance of internationally acclaimed winemaker, Philippe Melka, and with my brother’s encouragement and tutelage, I absorbed the knowledge that was dripping from the walls of that great cellar," says Founder/Winemaker Cameron Woodbridge. Now headed into my 13th vintage of Stormy Weather, I can still hear my brother’s voice,” says Cameron. “‘Never, ever, compromise on quality! Never hurry! The fruit will tell you when it’s ready and the wine will too. You need only wait and listen.’” — The California Wine Club

Shipped: 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($120)

Membership Benefits

When you scratch just a little below the surface, you discover the delightful details which make membership at The California Wine Club a special treat. Club members enjoy the following benefits.

Satisfaction Guarantee. The California Wine Club offers a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. They'll refund you for any wines you don't love. That said, we'd be genuinely surprised and concerned if you receive a poor selection from The California Wine Club.

Their “Love It” Guarantee: “What if I don't like the wine? Although wine tastes vary from person to person, our wines are guaranteed. If you get a bad bottle, we will immediately reship a replacement or refund your money!”

Customer Service. In ten years of working with The California Wine Club we have never had a single customer complaint. It could be because they pride themselves on the best customer service. In addition to their Satisfaction Guarantee, they have staff wine consultants whose job it is to help you find wine you love and wineries to visit when you go to wine country.

Convenience. The California Wine Club is a more old-fashioned company. If you need to hold your service for a vacation or want to cancel your membership you'll need to call and speak to someone during regular business hours. You can handle reorders yourself online, as well as see a record of the wines you've received and when you received them.

Personalization. The only available personalization on this wine club is how frequently you’d like to receive your shipments.

Discount Opportunities. We look at three areas when evaluating the discount opportunities offered by a wine club: is there an introductory offer to sweeten the deal, are there discounts available for buying more of wines you loved in your shipments, and are there special discounts only available to members?

The California Wine Club rarely posts introductory offers for their higher-end clubs, so take advantage of our exclusive deal: our readers get a special offer, 50% off your first shipment when you join at any club level, use code WCRHALF at checkout. Oh, you also get a $25 credit to use in their wine store when you sign up or give a gift.

The California Wine Club also offers members-only pricing on reorders, while supplies last. Members pay just $1 for shipping for case and half-case orders to most states, too.

Lastly, members-only special deals come up all the time. Whether it's presale opportunities or extra discounts in their wine shop, you'll be glad you participate.

Wine Education. The California Wine Club sends out the prettiest assortment of wine info (a full-color magazine called Uncorked) with each shipment of the Aged Cabernet Series. It contains tasting notes about each wine, the wineries they come from, the winemakers, and the wine region.

Aged Cabernet Gifts

New Gift Announcement Package, called Gift+, introduced in 2018

The California Wine Club has a new gift announcement option to improve your gift-giving. For an additional $18 you can have this delightful package mailed to you so you can present it in person, or you can have it mailed directly to your gift recipient in advance of the first wine shipment. The package comes gift-wrapped and custom-printed with the recipient's name and what you've ordered, along with a deluxe corkscrew and bottle stopper.

New Gift Wrap on Bottles

This is among the best wine club gifts on the market. For wine drinkers of any level and any preference, it would be hard to not make a great impression with a Signature Series gift. We’re big fans of The California Wine Club gifts.

They offer prepaid gift subscriptions which makes gifting a breeze. Choose 1-12 shipments. The more you buy, the more you save.

A custom gift message is included with purchase. During the holidays, recipients will get the bronze and gold tissue wrap pictured at the left. At other times of the year, bottles in each shipment are wrapped in custom Aged Cabernet Series tissue shown above.