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Ruth Lewandowski

Dinos to Diamonds 2018

Price: $30.95
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Tasting notes

The co-fermentation of Merlot and Sangiovese from Fox Hill's sandstone-derived soils gives this wine an unusual combination of soft red fruit and lifted herbal acidity that you rarely find in California reds. It tastes like an experiment that worked: raspberry and dried herbs up front, with a long, minerally finish that outlasts the pour.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
RaspberryWildflowersDried TeaEarth
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; co-fermented Merlot and Sangiovese; raspberry, herbs, floral; organically farmed Mendocino fruit
  • Grapes & Terroir: 60% Merlot, 40% Sangiovese; Fox Hill Vineyard, Talmage Bench, Mendocino County; 650ft elevation; sandy rocky clay loam alluvial soils over sandstone; organically farmed
  • Winemaking: Co-fermented with native yeasts; unfined; unfiltered; minimal added sulfur; hand-harvested
  • Serving: Serve at 58-62°F; light decant optional; drink now
  • Pairing: Tomato-braised lamb, pasta al pomodoro, roast chicken with herbs, aged pecorino, cured meats
  • Similar To: For fans of lighter Italian reds like Rosso di Montepulciano or California Carignan who want natural winemaking and herbal complexity

Dinos to Diamonds is Ruth Lewandowski's annual experimental bottling, a different wine every vintage and never repeated. The 2018 is a co-fermentation of 60% Merlot and 40% Sangiovese, both sourced from Fox Hill Vineyard on the Talmage Bench southeast of Ukiah in Mendocino County. The vineyard sits at approximately 650 feet elevation on sandy, rocky clay loam alluvial soils derived from sandstone, positioned on an uplifted former riverbed above the Russian River. All proceeds from this bottling were donated to Corazon Healdsburg in support of COVID-19 relief.

Winemaker Evan Lewandowski of Ruth Lewandowski Wines ferments with native yeasts using no additions, no fining agents, and no filtration. Sulfites are kept to a minimum. The grapes are hand-harvested and organically farmed. Co-fermentation of the two varieties integrates the Merlot's softer fruit character with the Sangiovese's higher acidity and herbal edge from the first moments of fermentation.

On the palate, the wine shows raspberry, dried herbs, and floral notes with a notably long finish. The Sangiovese component lifts the acidity and keeps the wine fresh, while the Merlot provides body and a plush mid-palate. This is a light-to-medium-bodied red that drinks well with minimal cellaring.

Fox Hill Vineyard grows an unusual concentration of Italian varieties for Mendocino, making it a natural fit for this Sangiovese-forward blend. The Talmage Bench climate mixes warm days with significant diurnal temperature swings, preserving the grape's natural acidity through ripening.

Serve alongside pasta with tomato-based sauces, grilled lamb chops, or a board of cured meats and aged sheep's milk cheese. The Sangiovese-driven acidity cuts through fat and complements acidic sauces the way the variety does in Tuscany. A simple roast chicken with herbs is another strong match.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Merlot, Sangiovese
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, United States
Region:, Mendocino
Appellation:, Mendocino County
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

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Producer profile

Ruth Lewandowski

Ruth Lewandowski Wines was founded in 2012 by Evan Lewandowski. The project began in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Lewandowski first encountered wine while working at The Spotted Frog wine bar in Park City, where he met Zev Rovine, later the founder of Rovine Selections. That connection opened the door to wine professionally. Lewandowski subsequently worked harvests across multiple countries, including stints at Tenute Loacker in Italy, Torbreck in Australia, Quintessa in Napa, and Bodega Colomé in Argentina, before training for several seasons at Domaine Binner in Alsace under natural winemaking pioneer Christian Binner. He returned to the United States and launched Ruth Lewandowski Wines, initially completing fermentation in California before transporting the fermenting wine in a refrigerated truck to Salt Lake City to finish aging and bottling. The label name is drawn from the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament, referencing themes of renewal and gleaning from another's harvest.

Lewandowski sources grapes from organically farmed vineyards in Mendocino County, primarily Fox Hill Vineyard on the Talmage Bench and Testa Vineyard. Fox Hill, located southeast of Ukiah at approximately 650 feet elevation, is planted with a range of Italian varieties including Sangiovese, Arneis, Cortese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. The soils at Fox Hill are sandy, rocky clay loam of alluvial origin derived from sandstone, with high concentrations of gravel and quartz. In 2018, Lewandowski partnered with Idlewild Wines founder Sam Bilbro and the two jointly farmed Fox Hill under the Wild Ruth Farming collaboration. The winery later relocated its operations fully to California.

In the cellar, Lewandowski's approach is non-interventionist: native yeast fermentations throughout, no fining agents, no filtration, and little to no added sulfur. Grapes are hand-harvested. His Dinos to Diamonds label functions as an experimental series — each vintage is a completely different wine, exploring varieties or techniques outside the core portfolio. The 2018 is a co-fermentation of Merlot and Sangiovese, meaning both grape varieties were fermented together in the same vessel from the start of fermentation rather than blended after the fact. All profits from Dinos to Diamonds are donated to a selected charity each year; the 2018 vintage benefited Corazon Healdsburg's COVID-19 community relief efforts.

Wine region

Mendocino, United States

Mendocino County sits at the northern end of California's North Coast AVA, directly above Sonoma County, and is divided into two distinct growing zones by the Mendocino Range. The western corridor, closest to the Pacific Ocean, is dominated by cool, foggy valleys like Anderson Valley, best known for Pinot Noir and traditional-method sparkling wine. The eastern corridor, which runs along Highway 101 through Ukiah and Hopland, is warmer and more inland, producing fuller-bodied reds from Zinfandel, Carignan, Petite Sirah, and Merlot. Fox Hill Vineyard, where this wine's grapes are grown, sits on the Talmage Bench on the eastern side, southeast of Ukiah, at roughly 650 feet elevation with sandy, rocky clay loam alluvial soils derived from sandstone.

Mendocino County contains twelve AVAs and accounts for roughly one-third of all certified organic vineyard acreage in California, with approximately 25% of its vineyards farmed organically. In 2004, county residents voted to make Mendocino the first GMO-free county in the United States. Key appellations include Anderson Valley for cool-climate Pinot Noir and sparkling wine; Redwood Valley for old-vine Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon; Yorkville Highlands for rocky, high-elevation red blends; and the broader Mendocino County appellation, which encompasses the Talmage Bench area where Fox Hill Vineyard is located. Italian immigrant winemakers planted many of the county's earliest vineyards in the mid-1800s, drawn by similarities in climate and terrain to their homeland — a legacy still visible in Fox Hill's unusual concentration of Italian varieties.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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