2021 Cruse Wine Co. Monkey Jacket Red Wine

Producer: Cruse Wine Co. 
Region: North Coast, California
Blend: 22% Mixed Red Blends, 19% Carignan, 14% Valdiguié, 12% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah, 11% Pinot Noir, 10% Tannat 
Year: 2021  

Winemaker Notes: 

"A departure from our previous blends, there is no dominant variety. Valdiguié now shares the table with Carignan, Petite Sirah, Mixed Reds, and Syrah. The nose is incredible, with violets, and darker red fruits. It is earthier and less green than previous iterations, more minty than sappy, and more cherry than raspberry. The palate is deeply savory with grilled notes and a bright acidity. The finish is clean and simple with more refined tannins." 

About the Producer: 

"Cruse Wine Co. was an opportunity for Michael to showcase fruit driven and satisfying wines that are pleasurable, but seriously balanced and unapologetically California. The North Coast is near and dear to Michael, so he chose to focus on sites within the Napa Valley and Sonoma County to create his special wines. The one thing he didn’t want to do was to create another Pinot Noir or Cabernet, instead he found inspiration in varieties such as Valdiguie, Tannant, Carignan and St Laurent.

 The flagship wine of Cruse Wine Co. is the red blend Monkey Jacket (the name inspired by an old, British sailor song). This wine embodies all the things Cruse Wine Co. is meant to be, as it’s a blend of Valdiguie, Carignan, Tannat, St Laurent and mixed field blend reds and provides incredible drinkability with brightness and ample structure. In addition to Monkey Jacket, Michael also makes small lots of single vineyard varietal wines from Valdiguie, Tannant, Syrah, Carignan and Chardonnay."

Alcohol: 12.5%

*Price and availability in store may vary. Vintage date may differ from pictured.