Thomas Rivers Brown winemaker spotlight
Wine Spectator follows Thomas Rivers Brown in Napa, revealing the vineyard instincts behind one of California’s most sought-after Cabernet winemakers.
2022 Stone The Crows Three Twins Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
A+ cult Napa Cabernet at its finest, made by Thomas Rivers Brown from the top lots of Three Twins Vineyard.
Thomas Rivers Brown turns the top clone 337 and 169 lots from Three Twins Vineyard into a polished, 100% Cabernet flagship. The warm 2022 season brought softer tannins, while mulberry, baking spice, salted dark chocolate, and graphite deliver unmistakable cult-Napa depth at half the single-bottle price.
6 bottles $480 • 12 bottles $960
The flagship expression of an under-the-radar Napa estate
This is the pinnacle selection from Three Twins Vineyard, carrying Thomas Rivers Brown’s signature combination of concentration, polish, and site transparency.
The Flagship Cut
Brown assembles the estate’s top clone 337 and 169 Cabernet lots into the most complete expression of Three Twins Vineyard.
TRB At The Controls
The winemaker behind some of California’s most coveted Cabernet programs has shaped Stone The Crows from its first release.
2022 Approachability
A warm Napa season delivered softer tannins, making this one of the estate’s most immediately welcoming flagship Cabernets.
Collector Economics
The two-bottle price is exactly half the single-bottle price, turning serious Napa pedigree into a compelling six-bottle buy.
Thomas Rivers Brown, Napa’s “Midas Touch”
Wine Spectator devoted a feature to Brown under “The Midas Touch,” and Stone The Crows credits his minimal-intervention approach with revealing the Three Twins site. This is the pedigree behind the bottle.
Half-price access to a cult Napa estate
The verified storefront offer cuts the bottle price in half at two or more, without using an unverified critic score or a vague market average.
$80 once the cart reaches two bottles
The storefront’s single-bottle price is $160. At two bottles or more, the price falls to $80 each. Wine-Searcher (opens in a new tab) is linked for independent market context; the savings claim here uses only verified store pricing.
Build the six-bottle allocation now, or move to twelve bottles for free shipping.
Add 6 Bottles • $480Mulberry, graphite, and salted dark chocolate
A richly decadent but elegant Cabernet, with dark fruit and savory detail held by structured tannin.
The official winery notes describe a warm season that produced softer tannins and one of the estate’s easiest-drinking Cabernets upon release.
Mulberry leads, joined by brown baking spice and the deep fruit richness expected from hillside Napa Cabernet.
Full-bodied and decadent, yet balanced. Structured tannins feel softer than usual for the estate and keep the wine polished.
Salted dark chocolate and graphite carry the finish. Serve near cellar temperature after 30 to 45 minutes of air.
Mulberry and baking spice arrive first, framed by the wine’s structured Cabernet tannin.
Dark chocolate and graphite become clearer as the softer 2022 tannins settle into the fruit.
The wine feels more seamless, with savory mineral detail extending the rich, elegant finish.
The Thomas Rivers Brown factor
Brown gives the estate’s best 2022 Cabernet lots a precise, low-intervention path from vineyard to bottle.
The 100% Cabernet blend combines clones 337 and 169. After a four-day cold soak, the wine fermented in stainless steel for up to 16 days on the skins with pumpovers twice daily.
It then spent 20 months in 80% new French oak from Darnajou, Remond, and La Grange before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Decanter lists the finished wine at 14.8% alcohol (opens in a new tab).
A cattle ranch remade for Cabernet
Three Twins Vineyard is a small, sunlit hillside estate shaped by elevation, lake breezes, volcanic soils, and one family’s leap of faith.
High above St. Helena, Three Twins Vineyard sits at 700 feet on the northern slopes of Lake Hennessey. Proprietor Richard Talmadge saw Cabernet potential in an old cattle ranch and redesigned the site in 2005.
The estate’s 11,000 vines climb steep, undulating hills across five blocks. Volcanic ash over gravel and flint encourages vine struggle, while morning sun and afternoon updrafts from the lake support slow, even ripening.
Talmadge named Three Twins for his triplets, whose excitement helped seal his decision to buy the property. The estate’s first official Cabernet vintage arrived in 2010, with Thomas Rivers Brown shaping the wines from the beginning.
Cabernet built for a serious table
The flagship’s mulberry fruit, graphite, dark chocolate, and structured tannin welcome slow-braised beef or a deeply seared ribeye.
Match richness with structure
Beef richness softens Cabernet tannin, while roasted flavors echo the wine’s baking spice, graphite, and dark chocolate notes.
Use a generous Bordeaux stem and give the wine enough air for its savory detail to catch up with the fruit.
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
The braise mirrors the wine’s depth, and the glossy sauce meets its mulberry fruit and savory graphite without overwhelming the finish.
View Bon Appétit Recipe for red wine-braised short ribs (opens in a new tab)
Butter-Basted Ribeye
A hard sear and herb butter amplify the Cabernet’s baking spice and cocoa tones, while the steak’s fat rounds the structured tannins.
View Food & Wine Recipe for butter-basted ribeye (opens in a new tab)Serious Napa pedigree, unusually easy access
Winemaker pedigree, estate specificity, and a clean 50% discount all land in one polished flagship Cabernet.
Give the warm-vintage fruit a short decant and let the softer tannins make their case right away.
The primary allocation balances near-term drinking with enough bottles to revisit as the wine settles.
Double the allocation, unlock free shipping, and keep Thomas Rivers Brown’s flagship within reach.
Bring home the Three Twins flagship while this direct-buy allocation is open.
