2021 Stone the Crows Three Twins estate spotlight
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2021 Stone The Crows Three Twins Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $149.62 and the average is $149.62. Our slash is $150.00.
2021 Stone the Crows Three Twins Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Thomas Rivers Brown. Three Twins Vineyard, planted by the Harlan team in 2005. Decanter 98. Seventy-nine on two or more.
Vinous called Three Twins one of the most distinctive Cabernets in Napa Valley. The hillside was developed by the Harlan team. Thomas Rivers Brown made the wine for Rick Talmadge. Decanter scored the 2021 98 points. Two or more are $79 a bottle. A single bottle is $150.
Harlan-planted hillside. TRB in the cellar. Decanter 98.
Three Twins sits at 700 feet in Conn Valley, a mile uphill from Bond Melbury. Mary Hall planted it in 2005 for Harlan's Napa Valley Reserve. Rick Talmadge bought the 4.5 acres and hired Thomas Rivers Brown, the winemaker behind Outpost, Maybach, Schrader, and Rivers-Marie. Clones 169, 337, and 685. Twenty months in new French oak. Decanter 98. Two or more are $79.
Eleven thousand vines. Five blocks. Clones 2, 15, 169, 337, and 685 on volcanic ash over gravel and flint. Morning sun, afternoon lift off Lake Hennessey. Rick named the vineyard for his triplets, Travis, Taryn, and Courtney. The first official vintage was 2010. Vinous called it one of the most visually stunning vineyards in Napa Valley.
The house
Thomas Rivers Brown for proprietor Rick Talmadge. Jason Ray farms the site.
The wine
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Three Twins, St. Helena, 700 feet, planted 2005. 14.7%.
The score
Decanter 98. Right Bank-like cherries, sagebrush, ironstone. Drink to 2040.
The table
Ribeye, short ribs, a steak that already has a name.
98 points, Decanter
Named critics only. No shop names. No aggregate score in the corner.
Cherries, sagebrush, ironstone.
Decanter's 2021 note is the vintage tasting. Full-bodied, supple, decadent. Red and black cherries, sagebrush, ironstone minerals, blackberry liqueur, cedarwood. Super-refined tannins, long graceful finish. Explosive pomegranate molasses, blackberry jam, toasty walnut, Mexican chocolate, cardamom. Serve near 62 F. A real decant if you open it tonight.
20 months in 100% new French oak. 14.7% alcohol.
Red and black cherries, sagebrush, ironstone, blackberry liqueur, cedarwood. Full-bodied, supple, decadent. Super-refined tannins. Drink 2024 to 2040.
Decanter's 2021 note is the vintage tasting. Full-bodied, supple, decadent. Red and black cherries, sagebrush, ironstone minerals, blackberry liqueur, cedarwood. Super-refined tannins, long graceful finish. Explosive pomegranate molasses, blackberry jam, toasty walnut, Mexican chocolate, cardamom. Serve near 62 F. A real decant if you open it tonight.
Serve near 62 F for reds, colder for whites. A short decant if the note asks for air.
Thomas Rivers Brown
Stainless ferment, 14 to 16 days on skins, a few days of cold soak, pump-overs twice daily. Aged 20 months in new French oak (Darnajou, Remond, La Grange). Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.7 percent alcohol.
2021 Stone the Crows Three Twins
The name is British slang for surprise. The vineyard is a small hillside in Conn Valley, originally developed by the Harlan team and still farmed that way. Stone the Crows is Rick Talmadge's project. This 2021 Three Twins is the bottle.
The land was a cattle ranch until 2005. Richard Talmadge redesigned it. Thomas Rivers Brown has made every vintage. Fallen Feather is the second wine. The Golden Crow is magnums only, in the best years.
What to put on the table
Food only. No bottles on the plate.
Reds near 62 F in a proper glass. Whites colder. A 20 to 40 minute decant when the tannins ask for it.
Gordon Ramsay cooks ribeye. A cooking video for the steak pairing, not a winery film.
Pan-seared ribeye
A mountain Cabernet wants fat, char, and salt.
View Recipe for Reverse-sear steak (opens in a new tab)
Braised short ribs
Decanter's decadent fruit meets a dark pan sauce.
View Recipe for Red-wine braised short ribs (opens in a new tab)Decanter 98. Thomas Rivers Brown. Three Twins Vineyard. $79 when you take two.
Thomas Rivers Brown. Three Twins Vineyard, planted by the Harlan team in 2005. Decanter 98. Seventy-nine on two or more.
Two or more are $79 each. A single bottle is $150. Twelve bottles ship free.
