2018 Cruse Wine Co. Monkey Jacket

Region: Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Suisun Valley < CAGrapes: Valdiguié, Tannat, Syrah, old-vine Carignan + a field blendVineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming (85% of fruit is certified), 20% whole cluster; fermented and aged in concrete; bottled unfined/unfiltered with minimal SO2; 12.8% ABVWinemaker: Michael Cruse NEW VINTAGE ALERT! Bringing back Monkey Jacket from Michael Cruse, another young Cali producer who doesn’t own vineyards, and is constantly on the hunt for organic grape sources all over the Bay Area. So, it’s no wonder that he’s innovating and making wine with all kinds of random grapes. Which totally works with his philosophy of making wine for daily drinking, not wine for cellaring. Like this insanely delicious blend, which is 51% Valdiguie from across Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Suisun, plus Carignan, Syrah, and a North Coast field blend that gets a bit of whole cluster for lift and freshness. Monkey Jacket (named after a type of jacket worn by sailors, hence the