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Ruth Lewandowski

L. Stone Sangiovese 2020

Sale price: $36.95 Regular price:$39.95
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Tasting notes

This Sangiovese punches well above its California ZIP code: dried cherry, leather, licorice spice, and baked earth land in a taut, acid-driven frame that feels genuinely Tuscan in structure. The five-month extended maceration on 25% of the fruit adds density without softening the grip, keeping the wine food-oriented and alive.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Dried CherryBaked EarthLicoriceLeather & Tobacco
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; deep ruby; dried cherry, leather, and baked earth; 14.4% ABV; zero additions
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Sangiovese Grosso; organically farmed; Fox Hill Vineyard, Talmage Bench, Mendocino County; alluvial rocky sandy clay loam from sandstone; 650 ft elevation; ~30-year-old vines
  • Winemaking: Whole cluster maceration; 25% fruit on extended 5-month maceration; indigenous yeast; no temperature control; full native malolactic; 10 months in polyethylene Flextanks; 12 months in neutral puncheons; no SO2, unfined, unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 62-65F; 30-45 min decant recommended; opens up considerably with air
  • Pairing: Braised pork, pasta with red sauce, pizza, hard cheese, cured meats
  • Similar To: For fans of Rosso di Montalcino or structured Chianti Classico who want a zero-addition California interpretation

L. Stone is 100% Sangiovese Grosso grown at Fox Hill Vineyard on the Talmage Bench, an uplifted former riverbed located between Hopland and Ukiah in Mendocino County. The site sits at 650 feet elevation on alluvial, rocky sandy clay loam derived from sandstone, with significant quartz throughout. The vines are approximately 30 years old, trained to unilateral cordon, and farmed organically. Fox Hill was replanted in the late 1980s by owner Lowell Stone, who converted the property from Chardonnay and Riesling to an assortment of Italian varieties sourced from nurseries, friends, and suitcase cuttings. The wine is named in his honor.

Winemaking for the 2020 vintage: whole cluster maceration with 25% of the fruit undergoing an extended maceration of five months. Fermentation proceeds with indigenous yeast, no temperature control, and no fermentation aids. Full native malolactic conversion follows. The wine then ages 10 months in polyethylene Flextanks (egg and cube formats), followed by one year in neutral puncheons. No sulfur is added at any point. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Total acidity is 6.05 g/L, pH 3.6, ABV 14.4%. Production: 585 cases.

Ruth Lewandowski Wines is the project of Evan Lewandowski, founded in 2012 and named after the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. Evan trained at Domaine Binner in Alsace and holds a degree in viticulture and enology from the Walla Walla Institute. The winery is now based in Healdsburg, California, where Evan works in close collaboration with Sam Bilbro of Idlewild Wines. Across the entire Ruth Lewandowski range, the cellar approach is the same: indigenous yeast, zero additions, no fining, no filtration.

The high acidity and firm tannins make this a natural with tomato-based pasta, braised pork shoulder, or pizza with red sauce. It also holds up well against hard cheeses and cured meats. Think of it the way you would a Rosso di Montalcino at the table.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Sangiovese Grosso
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2020
Alcohol:, 14.4%
Country:, United States
Region:, California
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.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Ruth Lewandowski

Ruth Lewandowski Wines was founded in 2012 by Evan Lewandowski, who grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and first developed a serious interest in wine through a job at The Spotted Frog wine bar in Park City, where he met importer Zev Rovine. He subsequently worked harvests in Australia, Argentina, and Italy, earned a degree in viticulture and enology from the Walla Walla Institute, and spent several formative years at Domaine Binner in Alsace working under Christian Binner.

The winery takes its name from the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. Evan cites the book's themes of gleaning, loyalty, and finding purpose across someone else's harvest field as directly mirroring his practice of sourcing from other growers' organically farmed vineyards and working with what each site and season provides. The winery is currently based in Healdsburg, California, and sources primarily from Fox Hill Vineyard and Testa Vineyard in Mendocino County. Evan co-farms Fox Hill with Sam Bilbro of Idlewild Wines under their shared farming operation.

Across all Ruth Lewandowski wines, the cellar protocol is consistent: indigenous yeast fermentation, no temperature control, no additions of any kind including sulfur, no fining, and no filtration. Vessel choices (polyethylene Flextanks, neutral puncheons) and maceration length are the primary winemaking variables. The 'Zero' designation used across the range signals zero additions from vineyard through bottling.

Wine region

California, United States

Mendocino County sits at the northern edge of California's North Coast wine region, separated from Sonoma by the Mayacamas range. The county contains 10 distinct AVAs with contrasting climates: Anderson Valley in the west draws significant Pacific fog and cool maritime air, while the inland Ukiah and Redwood valleys run warmer and drier under continental influence. Fox Hill Vineyard occupies the Talmage Bench southeast of Ukiah, an uplifted former riverbed of the Russian River positioned between Hopland and Ukiah at roughly 650 feet elevation. The bench soils are predominantly sandstone-derived, rocky sandy clay loam with high concentrations of gravel and quartz, providing excellent drainage and mineral complexity.

Mendocino County has a long history of organic viticulture: approximately one quarter of the region's wine grapes are organically grown, a higher proportion than most California counties. The Mendocino AVA encompasses the warmer inland valleys around Ukiah and is known for varieties that handle heat well, including Sangiovese, Carignan, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah. Fox Hill Vineyard is a notable exception in terms of varietal focus, planted almost entirely to Italian and Portuguese varieties by Lowell Stone in the late 1980s, making it one of the most unusual multi-variety Italian-variety vineyards in California.

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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