Cruse Wine Co. is a small winery in Petaluma, California.
Founder and owner, Michael Cruse has found inspiration in grape varieties such as St Laurent, Carignan, and Valdiguie for this wine; moving away from the more typical Cabernet or Pinot Noir varietals more frequently used in the region.
Monkey Jacket 2022 is a blend 53% Valdiguie, 14% Carignan, 14% Red Field Blend, 8% Petite Sirah, 8% Tannat and 3% St. Laurent. This results in a wine with impressive vibrancy but exceptional seriousness driven by the blend of varieties from vineyards carefully selected and located in Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Suisun counties.
Approximately 25% of the blend was fermented whole cluster. All of the grapes were fermented in concrete and then pressed into older French oak barrels.
The wine has a bright ruby rim, with rich burgundy hues and a youthful, serious nose of crushed strawberries, bramble, and bass notes of olive and leather. The palate is late summer in California, sunny and dry, with integrated and confited fruits. The finish is clean and lingering with a bit of raspberry and rhubarb.