Ghostnote - 'Super Santa Cruz' - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Negroamaro, Merlot, Nebbiolo - Ascona Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA - 2023

@ghostnotewines

Notes from the Winery/Importer

The 2nd vintage of the Super Santa Cruz was harvested on November 3rd, 2023, from Ascona Vineyard — a 14-acre parcel perched at 2,400 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains and organically farmed by legendary viticulturist Ken Swegles. This wine is made in a sélection massale style: all varieties are hand-harvested on the same day and co-fermented together. The approach stands in contrast to the precision blending of separately vinified lots, instead embracing spontaneity to capture the vineyard’s truest voice in a single ferment. Fermented with native yeast, the 2023 vintage was fermented with the Sangiovese as whole clusters and the other varieties destemmed on top. Macerated on skins for 32 days before pressing. Both primary and secondary fermentations occurred naturally, followed by 27 months of élevage in neutral Bordeaux barriques. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, the wine remains a transparent, site-driven expression of Ascona. Inspired by the Super Tuscan movement of the 1970s when rebellious winemakers defied DOC rules to blend Bordeaux varieties with Sangiovese. The Super Santa Cruz channels that same independent spirit. Aromas of bay laurel, pine resin, and pocket tobacco, layered with brambly crème de cassis and dried blackcurrant. Firm acidity and firm but fine tannins are a staple feature of a classic Santa Cruz Mountains expression. 4 barrels produced (97 cases and 18 magnums) Serve slightly chilled, around 60°F. 47% Cabernet Sauvignon 26% Cabernet Franc 12% Sangiovese 10% Negroamaro 4% Merlot 1% Nebbiolo Alcohol 14.2% Alc./Vol Residual Sugar 0.0 g/L pH 3.37 Total Acidity 7.0 g/L Malic Acid 0.0 g/L Volatile Acidity 0.62 g/L

Notes on the Producer

Ghostnote Wines is Brad Friedman’s small, independent project: naturally made, quietly serious wines with purpose, craft, and a clear point of view.

Grapes & Style

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most famous structured red grape, born in Bordeaux from Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It became central to the wines of the Médoc and has since traveled almost everywhere, from Napa Valley and Chile to Australia, South Africa, Italy, and beyond.

In the vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon ripens relatively late and needs enough warmth to develop fully. Its small, thick-skinned berries bring deep color, firm tannin, and strong aging potential. In cooler or marginal sites it can taste green and hard; in the right conditions it gives structure, concentration, and a clear sense of authority.

In the glass, Cabernet Sauvignon often shows blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar, tobacco, graphite, mint, and savory spice. It’s naturally tannic and often benefits from time, either in barrel or bottle. The best examples aren’t just big — they’re composed, persistent, and built around structure as much as fruit.

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is an old Bordeaux and Loire red grape, and one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon. In Bordeaux it’s often part of a blend, bringing lift, perfume, and freshness; in the Loire, especially Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigny, and Anjou, it stands on its own as one of the great medium-bodied red wines of France.

In the vineyard, Cabernet Franc ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, which helps it succeed in cooler regions. It still needs enough warmth to avoid hard green flavors, but when farmed well it can keep freshness while developing real aromatic complexity. It often works beautifully on limestone, gravel, and sandy soils, with style shifting depending on site.

In the glass, Cabernet Franc usually sits in a lovely middle zone: red and black fruit, fresh herbs, violet, graphite, pepper, and sometimes a subtle leafy edge. It can be light and crunchy or deeper and more structured, but it rarely needs heaviness to make its point. We like it for the way it combines freshness, savory detail, and quiet confidence.

Sangiovese

Sangiovese is the central red grape of Tuscany and one of Italy’s most important varieties. It’s the grape behind Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and many of the region’s most recognizable wines, though it appears under many local names and forms across central Italy.

In the vineyard, Sangiovese ripens relatively late and needs warmth, but it also needs enough freshness to keep its shape. It can be sensitive to site and clone, which helps explain the wide range of styles. The best examples often come from hillsides where ripeness, acidity, and tannin can all stay in balance.

In the glass, Sangiovese tends to show sour cherry, red plum, dried herbs, tea, tobacco, leather, earth, and a distinctly savory edge. It usually has noticeable acidity and firm, sometimes dusty tannins, which make it especially good with food. Great Sangiovese is not about plushness; it’s about tension, structure, and that unmistakable Italian savory snap.

Merlot

Merlot is one of Bordeaux’s major red grapes, especially important on the Right Bank in places like Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. It ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and often brings flesh, generosity, and softness to blends, though great Merlot can be every bit as serious and long-lived as more tannic varieties.

In the vineyard, Merlot’s early ripening is both useful and risky. It can succeed in slightly cooler or heavier soils, especially clay, but it’s vulnerable to spring frost and can lose definition if overcropped or picked too ripe. Site and restraint matter more than its easygoing reputation suggests.

In the glass, Merlot often shows plum, black cherry, red fruit, chocolate, herbs, tobacco, and a smooth, rounded texture. In simple versions it can be soft and friendly; in the best examples it has depth, structure, and a quiet savory complexity. Good Merlot is not just plush — it’s generous without losing shape.

Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is the great red grape of Piemonte, most famous in Barolo and Barbaresco. It’s one of Italy’s most distinctive varieties: pale in color but powerful in structure, with a rare combination of perfume, tannin, acidity, and ageworthiness.

In the vineyard, Nebbiolo buds early and ripens late, so it needs the right exposures and a long growing season. It’s sensitive to site, which is why individual hillsides and villages matter so much in the Langhe. When conditions are right, it produces wines with remarkable aromatic complexity and firm architecture.

In the glass, Nebbiolo often shows red cherry, rose, tar, anise, dried herbs, orange peel, earth, and truffle with age. The color can be deceptively light, but the tannins are serious. Great Nebbiolo is not plush or easy in the obvious way; it’s structured, fragrant, and deeply savory, often needing time to become fully generous.