Ruth Lewandowski Wines 2019 'L. Stone Zero' Sangiovese, Fox Hill Vineyard, Mendocino County
Item Number: 16212
UPC: None
Country: USA
Region: California
Sub Region: Mendocino
Appellation/AVA: Mendocino County
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vineyard Designation: Fox Hill Vineyard
Vintage: 2019
Grape(s): 100% Sangiovese
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13.2
Total Acidity: 5.9 g/L
pH: 3.55
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Rocky/pebbly sandy clay loam
Case Production: 448
Tasting Notes: L. Stone is a refreshing Old World take on a variety that can sometimes be mismanaged in California. For Sangiovese fans—those that love the leather, the book shelf, the dried cherry, the licorice spice and baked earth; those that love density and levity and taut structure—New World versions rarely stack up and often disappoint. 2019 L. Stone is RLW's surprising new Fox Hill flagship. It is mineral driven well before fruity. We're obsessed with it.
Winemaking Notes: The L. Stone is made from 37-year-old Sangiovese grapes. Whole cluster Sangiovese ferments spontaneously with native yeast in open top stainless steel and Flextank eggs without temperature control. The wine ages for 10 months in Flextank eggs and one year in neutral puncheons. Full native malolactic fermentation occurs. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. No sulfites are added.
Vineyard Notes: As a young man, Lowell Stone fell head over heels for Italy, particularly it’s wine culture. In the late 80's, he took to replanting the entire property, converting it over from mostly Chardonnay and Riesling to many obscure Italian varieties (with a few acres of two Portuguese varieties thrown in for good measure). Today, it's a library of grapevines from nurseries, friends, and the odd 'suitcase' cuttings. Fox Hill rests between Hopland and Ukiah just up from the Russian River on benchland called the Talmage Bench. Uplifted former riverbed, Fox Hill is predominantly sandstone based. It is very rocky and pebbly, with a large amount of quartz.