Cruse Wine Co., Monkey Jacket Red

Cruse Wine Company is the vinous equivalent of an indie record label, a champion of outside-the-mainstream grape varieties and outside-the-box thinking. Wines like today’s tiny-production blend (about 3,000 cases are made) are all the rage in cool California wine bars and restaurants, but as cool as “Monkey Jacket” may be, it’s not going up on SommSelect unless there’s as much substance as there is style. This 2020 passes that test, and it does so in part by turning the California “cult” wine model on its head. Rather than being massively concentrated and punishingly expensive, this wine is lighter on both the palate and the wallet. Driven by a decidedly non-mainstream grape variety—Valdiguié—Monkey Jacket is not only a celebration of California’s deep wine history but a complete re-thinking of what the Golden State is capable of, stylistically. No one thought California could make reds this bright, mineral, and refreshing, but in fact it can, and it’s a welcome trend. Cool is good, bu