Who makes it
Stone Castle began in 1953 as NBI Rahoveci, a state-run winery built by the Yugoslav government. The Gecaj family acquired it in 2006 and renamed it Stone Castle. Rrustem Gecaj, a Kosovar-American entrepreneur, directed its transformation.
The estate grows its own fruit and bottles on site. Vineyard teams hand-pick the bunches, and wines mature in oak or stainless steel before bottling. Beneath the vineyards, an underground cellar has storage capacity exceeding five million litres.
Where it grows
Stone Castle reports 700 hectares of vineyards in the hilly and mountainous Rahovec Valley, rising from 330 to 550 metres. The soils are clay-limestone. Its estate vineyards are sustainably managed, with cover crops, natural pest control and minimal-intervention farming used to foster biodiversity.
What they make
StoneCastle Pinot Noir 2022 is a dry Rahovec Valley red aged for eight months in Hungarian oak. Vanilla, clove and sweet cedar sit beneath the fruit.
Chardonnay Reserve spends nine months in French oak, with pineapple and vanilla-bean tones. StoneCastle Chardonnay takes the stainless-steel route instead: it is unoaked, with a mineral edge and a refreshing finish.