Who makes it
The winery began in 1953 as NBI Rahoveci, built by the Yugoslav government. Its change of ownership in 2006 brought the Gecaj family and the Stone Castle name, while the fruit remained rooted in the Rahovec Valley: the estate says it uses only grapes grown in its own vineyards. That link keeps Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Chardonnay Reserve and Gecaj Estate Owner’s Choice tied to one broad growing area rather than an unspecified buying network.
Stone Castle carries two distinct eras in its cellar name. It started as a state-run winery, then became a family-owned estate when the Gecaj family purchased it in 2006. The later work was not a new vineyard planted from scratch: it was a return to an existing winery and its Rahovec Valley vineyards. The consequence is a range built around estate fruit and familiar international grapes, presented under a family name rather than the former NBI Rahoveci name.
Where it grows
Stone Castle sits in Kosovo’s Rahovec Valley, where the producer describes a continental climate moderated by Mediterranean influence. Early fog and warm afternoons extend the daily rhythm around the vines: cooler starts can preserve acidity, while afternoon warmth helps grapes gain ripeness. In the reserve wines, that combination gives oak-aged fruit room for both weight and fresh structure.
The estate reports 700 hectares, or 1,730 acres, across hilly and mountainous ground at 330 to 550 metres. Clay-limestone soils hold water and add a calcareous element beneath the roots, while the changing elevations create more than one growing condition across the property. That scale helps explain a range that moves from a varietal Chardonnay to Cabernet Sauvignon and a Cabernet–Merlot blend.
How it is made
The cellar
Water is managed through minimal, strategic irrigation, seasonal rainfall and conservation measures. On clay-limestone ground, that approach aims to support the vines without treating every season as identical; vine water supply affects berry size, fruit concentration and the balance between ripeness and acidity. In the cellar, the documented reserve wines use French-oak ageing, while Owner’s Choice is also oak-aged, so wood is part of the texture and spice profile rather than an incidental detail on the label.
What they make
The named range has three clear roles. Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a single-variety red aged with French oak: Cabernet brings dark-fruited flavour, tannin and grip, while the oak adds savoury seasoning and a broader palate. Chardonnay Reserve takes the reserve approach into white wine, where oak, texture and acidity shape the wine more than simple fruitiness.
Gecaj Estate Owner’s Choice is the composed red: Cabernet Sauvignon supplies structure and darker fruit, while Merlot can round the palate with softer fruit and body. Oak ageing gives the blend another layer of spice and weight. Together, the three bottles show two varietal wines and one estate blend, rather than a series of differently named versions of the same wine.
Wines to try
First bottle
Stone Castle Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is the first bottle to try. It is a varietal Cabernet from the Rahovec Valley, made from estate-grown fruit and aged in French oak, so it brings together the producer’s vineyard policy, its red-wine range and its cellar approach. Look for dark fruit, firm tannin, savoury oak spice and acidity that carries the wine into a dry finish. It is the clearest place to taste how a large estate vineyard is translated into one focused red.