Stop Wasting Your Wine

Can a $25 Napa red really deliver a premium wine experience?

This week on Stop Wasting Your Wine, we're heading from Ghost Block to its sister label, Elizabeth Rose, to find out. In the glass is the 2023 Chockablock Red Blend, a Napa Valley blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec that surprised us from the very first sip.

What started as a savory, herbal, and unexpectedly salty wine transformed dramatically as it opened up, revealing layers of dark fruit, oak spice, vanilla, and structure. Along the way, we explore why winemakers blend grapes in the first place, how small percentages of Merlot and Malbec can completely change a wine's personality, and why some of the world's greatest wines are blends rather than single varietal bottlings.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Why this wine tastes so different from a typical Napa Cabernet
• The role of blending in creating balance and complexity
• How decanting completely changed our experience with this bottle
• Whether a $20 to $25 Napa blend can compete with wines costing far more
• Why this might be a bottle worth buying by the case and aging for years

Plus, a Pick Your Poison scenario that puts your wine pronunciation skills and your relationship with your boss to the ultimate test.

Wine Featured:
2023 Elizabeth Rose Chockablock Red Blend
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Malbec
Napa Valley, California

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
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00:00 Cold Open and Intro
00:50 Meet the Chockablock Blend
03:00 First Sip Impressions
04:58 Aromas, Herbs, and Salinity
08:40 The Mystery Flavor Everyone Notices
15:53 Wine Drop: Why Winemakers Create Blends
22:58 Final Reviews After an Hour of Air
30:20 Pick Your Poison: Correct the Boss?
35:24 Next Week's Wine Preview

A Napa Valley Cabernet that challenged expectations. This week the team explores the 2022 Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, Napa Valley, and finds a wine that delivers freshness, balance, and complexity without the overpowering oak and alcohol often associated with big California Cabernets.

Along the way, they discuss how oak aging really works, the difference between oak flavor and barrel aging, and why intentional winemaking matters. The conversation also touches on wine tasting etiquette, including the great sip-versus-spit debate from a recent tasting event.

Wine: Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon (2022)
Producer: Ghost Block Estate Wines
Region: Oakville, Napa Valley
Price: $80-$100
ABV: 14.5%

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Ghost Block Website:
⁠https://ghostblockwine.com/⁠
Ghost Block on Instagram:
⁠https://www.instagram.com/ghostblockwine/⁠

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
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Chapters00:00 - Is This Napa Cab Worth $100?
01:50 - Meet the Wine
04:15 - First Sip Reactions
05:20 - Tasting Notes
11:55 - Oak Flavor vs Barrel Aging
17:05 - Final Reviews
20:00 - A Stop Wasting Your Wine First
24:15 - Pinot or Chardonnay
29:00 - Closing Thoughts

Priyanka French of Ghost Block Estate Wines joins the show to talk about her path from India to Bordeaux, Burgundy, New Zealand, and Napa Valley, plus how those experiences shaped her approach to vineyard-driven winemaking. The conversation covers organic farming, women in wine, mentorship programs like Batonnage and Wine Unify, and the legendary ghost story behind the Ghost Block vineyard in Yountville. Then Aaron and Joel review the 2024 Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc, a surprisingly layered and playful Napa Sauvignon Blanc that completely rewrites their expectations for the varietal.

This week:
- Why Priyanka believes great wine starts with farming, not trends
- The real ghost story behind Ghost Block Vineyard in Yountville
- How Burgundy, Bordeaux, and New Zealand shaped her winemaking philosophy
- A deep dive into Sauvignon Blanc picking decisions, fermentation, and texture

Wines reviewed:
Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc (Yountville, Napa Valley, California, 2024) $35, 13.5% ABV

Ghost Block Website:
https://ghostblockwine.com/
Ghost Block on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ghostblockwine/
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Buy us a glass!
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Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Stop Wasting Your Wine
00:52 How Priyanka Fell in Love with Wine
05:07 Learning Winemaking Around the World
09:40 Breaking Into the Wine Industry
14:43 Mentorship & Making Wine More Accessible
19:33 The Ghost Story Behind Ghost Block
23:45 Sustainability, Elegance & The Future of Napa Wine
30:35 Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc Tasting
37:45 The Art and Science of Winemaking
46:56 Review and Final Thoughts
52:21 Pi Nope or ChardonnYay?!
54:50 Where to Find Ghost Block Wines

Sutter Home Chardonnay surprised the crew by being less offensive than expected, but the real shock was how little separation there was between a $9 1.5L bottle and the $15.99 Olema California Chardonnay. The episode dives into why Chardonnay gets such a bad reputation, how oak and climate shape the wine, and why people shouldn’t give up on the grape after one bad experience.

Featured wines:
Sutter Home Chardonnay, California, 13.1% ABV, $7
Olema California Chardonnay 2024, 13.8% ABV, $15.99

The crew also crowns a winner of the “Drink This, Not That” challenge and debates whether popular budget wines deserve all the hate they get.

Subscribe for weekly wine conversations.

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Buy us a glass!
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Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters
00:00 - Intro and Challenge Recap
01:18 - Todays Wine
09:37 - First Impressions of Sutter Home Chardonnay
18:14 - First Impressions of Olema Chardonnay
23:24 - Why Chardonnay Is So Divisive
31:44 - Exploring Chardonnay Styles Around the World
34:14 - Revisiting the Olema After It Opens Up
35:22 - Review and Final Thoughts
40:13 - Deciding the Drink This, Not That Winner
47:26 - Upcoming Napa Wine Company Episodes
48:08 - Where to Follow the Show

Barefoot Moscato vs. Rivata Moscato d'Asti - Does a jump in price mean a jump in quality?

Week two of the Drink This, Not That challenge, and Colin steps up as the sacrificial lamb. The Barefoot Moscato gets a fast, ugly, unanimous verdict. Think thick Sprite with a side of nickels. But the substitute, a DOCG-certified Moscato d'Asti from Italy, opens up a real conversation about what this grape can actually be. The quality gap is massive. The final rating? Closer than you'd expect.

This week:
Why Barefoot Moscato smells like nickels and tastes like thick Sprite
What Moscato d'Asti actually is and why it's a completely different experience
A close, heated debate over whether any Moscato can earn "casual sipper" status
Joel tries ice. It doesn't help.

Wines reviewed:
Barefoot Moscato (California) $6 to $9
Ravada Moscato d'Asti (Piedmont, Italy, 2025) ~$14

Support the show and help keep the wine flowing!
Buy us a glass!
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Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters
0:00 Introduction and Challenge Recap
3:38 Introducing Tonight's Wines
6:45 Barefoot Moscato Tasting
13:17 Barefoot Verdict and the Ice Test
16:10 Ravada Moscato d'Asti Tasting
24:00 Sweet Wine Misconceptions
25:36 Piedmont, the Region, and What Makes This Wine Different
33:00 Final Ratings and Verdict
40:48 Where to Find the Show