There really aren’t any wines quite like the ones Evan Lewandowski makes. Since starting Ruth Lewandowski Wines over twenty years ago, Evan’s passion project has blossomed into a full line of consistently soulful, incredibly unique bottlings, using often overlooked varietals to make wines that defy categorization yet feel composed, even classic in a way. While he’s always experimenting and open to change, what has stayed consistent since the beginning is the passion—these wines, varied in style, all carry a common joyous exuberance that’s hard not to feel when drinking them.

Evan will be the first to tell you that great wine starts in the vineyard, beyond just the vines but the entire ecosystem around them. Since the early days when he was trucking bins of grapes from Mendocino to Utah to make wine before moving the entire operation to California in 2018, Evan has cultivated a close relationship with the growers and the places that provide his fruit. From Fox Hill Vineyard, a unique site planted to mostly Italian, Portuguese and Spanish varietals by Lowell Stone in the 80s, to the gnarly hundred-plus-year-old Grenache and Grenache Gris vines at Gibson Ranch, to the storied Riesling at Cole Ranch, Evan has a knack for finding truly special sites that provide the basis for his wines. Beyond just purchasing fruit, Evan plays an active role in helping guide and manage vineyards, although as of recently he’s been trusting this more to the people he’s worked closely with for years. Of course great fruit alone will not magically turn into good wine! It takes a combination of vision, patience and a skillful touch to understand how to handle each plot and each varietal and how to elicit flavors and textures that push beyond the “sum of their parts” so to speak. Through a combination of his years spent in Alsace working with Binner to the now decades of experience making his own wines, Evan has honed this vision to the point where when you see those familiar Utah-shaped labels you may not know exactly what to expect, but you know that you’ll be moved by something special inside. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what that feeling is, but to me it feels like a warm hug from an old friend—like pure sunshine in a bottle. Today we're excited to offer some of his incredible 2023 wines (along with the 2022 Chilion), all tasting great and ready for summer! -Jeff DiLorenzo

**Wines arrive next week - please allow until Thursday 5/29 for pickup/delivery**