2023 Stone the Crows "Three Twins Vineyard" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The Flagship wine of the estate is immediately opulent and intense in the glass, showing noble depth of colour and an impressively refined textural structure in this vintage. Gorgeously pure blackberry fruit and violet notes lead, with blue-fruited nuances and elegant sweet spices emerging in turn. The tannins are crisper this year, offering a firm backbone that resolves beautifully through the wine’s sweet, unctuous fruit character – very dark-toned and laced with graphite-led minerality on the long, fragrant, floral finish. It is a particularly beautiful wine in 2023, the cooler growing season clearly imprinting its mark on what is typically a lavishly opulent bottling. All the richness you expect is here, but balanced by a welcome sense of tension. A sleeper in the best sense: already highly enjoyable at the pull of the cork for its youthful hedonism, yet structured for a long and graceful evolution. (JC)