Cruse Wine Co Tradition Rose NV

Alcohol: 12.5%

Grape(s): Pinot Noir (68%), including about 7% still red wine, with the remainder Chardonnay (32%)

Location: Mendocino County, California

Tasting Notes: The wine is a medium salmon, with a soft gentle mousse. The nose is cherry pie and berries mingled with pastry cream and wet rocks. The palate has a deep, red fruit character and weight, finishing with briny acidity.

Notes: The grapes are pressed using a traditional Champagne cycle before undergoing native‑yeast fermentation in barrel, followed by natural malolactic fermentation with no sulfur added during the process. The wine is tirage‑bottled in late spring and then aged for roughly two years on its lees before being riddled and disgorged with a low dosage of about 2 g/L. It receives additional bottle aging prior to release, adding further finesse and depth. 

Winery Story: Michael Cruse founded Cruse Wine Co. to create expressive, drinkable California wines that sit outside the state’s typical Cabernet‑centric identity. Known for his sparkling wines (Ultramarine) and for championing heritage varieties like Valdiguié and Carignan, Cruse focuses on freshness, moderate alcohol, native fermentations, and concrete aging. “Monkey Jacket” is the flagship—named after an old British sailor’s song—and represents Cruse’s vision of bright, quaffable, affordable California red wine