Description
Cruse Wine Co., “Monkey Jacket” Red Blend
Like many legacy grapes in California, Valdiguié has practically disappeared: only about 250 acres remain. Until 1980, when it was correctly identified as Valdiguié (a.k.a. Gros Auxerrois), it was called “Napa Gamay,” and often still is. Thought to be from southwest France, it had its “Hearty Burgundy” moment in the 1970s, in wines labeled “Gamay Beaujolais.”
Valdiguié wines often resemble Beaujolais, with lots of brambly berry fruit, peppery spice, light/medium body, and crunchy acidity. In a market full of richly extracted, heavily oaked reds, they’re a dramatic departure, so the variety has some devoted fans. “It’s kind of perfect,” says Michael Cruse of Cruse Wine Co. “It keeps its acid, it’s nearly impossible to get overripe, and it tastes like California sunshine.”
Like many “indie” labels, Cruse Wine Co. isn’t dependent on just one vineyard source. Fruit for “Monkey Jacket” comes from multiple sites across five Northern California counties, though more than half—including most of the Valdiguié—is from Mendocino. One key source is Eaglepoint Ranch, which sits at 1,800 feet above Mendocino’s Ukiah Valley in soils of loam and sandstone.
Cruse says this 2019 contains the highest percentage of Valdiguié (53%) of any edition of Monkey Jacket. Other varieties include Carignane, Petite Sirah, and Tannat. Fermentation was carried out in concrete tanks with about 25% whole grape clusters. The finished wine matured in a mix of concrete and older French oak barrels/puncheons, to preserve the “transparency of the fruit.”
Bright ruby in color and leading with scents of violets and black pepper, this is a medium-bodied red loaded with energy and intrigue. Brambly wild berries, strawberry-rhubarb, and black plum collide with notes of leather and black olive. A Californian mashup of Cru Beaujolais and lighter-bodied Northern Rhône Syrah. Pair with steak au poivre or some mushroom-sauced burgers.
