Mosketto Delicate Sweet White, Rosé, & Red

I may not like sweet frosty pastries like cake (ew, gross) but I do like sweet wines. Sorry, not sorry. Mosketto Delicate Sweet White has white flowers and orange zest on the nose with apples and peaches. The palate is also appley and peachy and the thick finish turns to sweet succulent clementines. With the Delicate Sweet Rosé there's rose pedals on the nose with juicy cherries and strawberry candy that follows onto the palate. Those cherries pop on the finish, and this is my favorite of the bunch. With the Delicate Sweet Red there's raspberry sauce on the mid palate and strawberry jam on the finish. With that red I gotta ask: anybody got some cheesecake? That is a cake I'm all about.

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Rosé All Day Spritz Rosé + Grapefruit with Bubbles

Okay, I'm going to be blunt: Rosé All Day are not kidding when they say "+ grapefruit" because there's A LOT of grapefruit here. And that wouldn't be a big deal in the middle of July or August when it's hot as hell and if this thing was chilled ice cold, because it would be completely crushable and I would just abuse that 4 pack of cans so easily it's ridiculous. But it's September and starting to get chilly here so you know what I did? I took an inexpensive Cava, that I knew I could trust to provide some wonderful bready yeastiness, and mixed them together. It was pretty damn enjoyable. I'm not even joking. Improvisation!

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Grapes & Capes Episode #2: Two Hands & Two-Face

Joey and Michael spend Episode Two tasting wines by Australia's Two Hands winery and talking about Two Face and DC Fandome Part Two.

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Prologue: Thank you to Brad, more about Comically Speaking

Wine #1: Two Hands Sexy Beast Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, thank you to Donna White Communications, McClaren Vale vs Barossa Valley, Shiraz vs Syrah

Comics #1: Two-Face

Harvey's comic debut, Batman Forever, The Dark Knight, (Infinity War, Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther), Batman vs Two-Face animated movie, Batman: The Animated Series, Eye of the Beholder, The Long Halloween, Hush, Tomasi's Detective Comics

Wine #2: Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz 2018, Australian wine laws, misleading wine lables, wine ratings

Comics #2: DC Fandome 2, part 1

Black Adam, Man of Steel, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn Q&A, Magic Wheelchair, Immortal Vigilante: Hooded Justice, CW'S Batwoman & The Flash

Wine #3: Two Hands Gnarly Dudes 2018

Comics #3: DC Fandome 2, part 2
Three Jokers, Geoff Johns controversy, Joker War, confusing Tomasi with Tynion, (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man), DCeased, Good Day to Die, Unkillables, Hope at World's End, DCeased: Dead Planet, Superman panel, Brian Michael Bendis, Death of Superman, Reign of Superman, Death and Reign animated movies, The Killing Joke

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Grapes & Capes Episode #1: DC Fandome & Bogaty Family Winery

It's the first episode of the Grapes & Capes Podcast! Mike and Joey taste three wines from Virginia's Bogaty Family Winery. We also discuss our "origin stories" for becoming comic book readers and wine drinkers. Then of course we need to talk about the huge DC Fandome online event!

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Wine #1: "The Founder" White Blend (non-vintage) , wine in Virginia, what is Bordeaux

Comics #1: Our Origin Stories

How we became comic readers and wine drinkers

Wine#2: "The Founder" Red Blend (non-vintage), the history of vitis vinifera and phylloxera

Comics #2: DC Fandome

Wonder Woman 1984, (Bloodshot, Game of Thrones), The Suicide Squad (The Harley Quinn Show, Swamp Thing, Justice League Apocalypse), Flashpoint, (Batman '89), Zack Snyder's Justice League, Black Adam, (wrestling), The Batman

Wine #3: Justin Bogaty Winemaker Series Cabernet Franc 2019, grapes making babies, old wine, Truro Vineyards

Comics #4: What we're reading & misc discussion

The Spectacular Spider-Man, Superman: Blackout, Immortal Hulk, Secret Six, Undiscovered Country, Once & Future, Comically Speaking, comic book shops during the COVID Crisis, Newbury Comics, the return of Milestone

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Justin Bogaty Winemaker Series ~ Chardonnay 2019, Rosé 2019, Merlot 2019

In the four years that I've been reviewing wines by the Justin Bogaty / Bogati Family Winery out of Virginia, I've had some of their Chardonnays but never their Justin Bogaty Winemaker Series Chardonnay. The 2019 vintage is medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and tamed acidity. It's got a tropical classic aroma and flavor profile of pineapple and banana, and then of course vanilla. It's a good solid Chardonnay and I like it, but that Veramar Chardonnay (also made by Bogaty) is still on my mind. The 2019 Rosé continues to be juicy and fun with a melting pot of Jolly Ranchers. Sour apple, watermelon, and strawberry. Full bodied and, yeah, it's a little sweet but everybody needs to calm down with their fear of that word. I said it's fun. Have fun. The 2019 Merlot is just so amazing on the nose. Super spicy with black pepper and cinnamon, then plums and cherries. It's lighter on the midpalate than I was expecting, with also brighter acidity. Perky with tart unripe blueberries and almost like an apple skin thing going on. There's also plums, a nice minerality, and black tea. It's got such a great nose and it's so different and interesting on the palate. I'm thinking it would actually be pretty damn good with a grilled cheese.

Look for three more wines by the Bogaty Famiy Winery in the premier episode of the upcoming Grapes & Capes Podcast!

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Veramar Vineyard ~ Chardonnay 2019 & Cabernet Franc 2019

I have a long standing relationship with the Bogaty Family Wine Group out of Virginia, going back to 2014. I've done so many reviews of their wine that they even have their own label on the blog. As I do a rebrand from blogging as my main focus to a podcast (don't worry, I'll still blog) it makes me happy that I'll blog about 5 of their wines before I premier the podcast with 3 of their wines. These guys are so good. I love their wine, I love their appreciation of the online wine community, and I hope to continue working with them for years to come. Veramar Vineyard is one of Bogaty's labels. The 2019 Chardonnay is literally like drinking the juice on the bottom of the fruit salad bowl. Pear juice, pineapple juice, melon juice. It's so flavorful and... juicy! Barrel fermentation gives it a nice oakiness, too. And its bright and tart acidity gives it a lot of spunk. I loved it! Spunky Chardonnay! Moving on, you all know how much I  love Cabernet Franc and how much I've realized how good it can be in Virginia. This stuff... yo... this is AWESOME. It's medium bodied and it feels like it would have a silky mouthfeel if the tight grainy tannins and ethanol weren't so strong. (This is a nudge-nudge that you can let it sit to open up or age it). There's notes of plums, cranberry, tomato leaf, black pepper, and beach sand and/or ice melt. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Veramar does it again and makes me so damn happy!

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Morgan Winery ~ Highland Chardonnay 2018, Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Rosé of Grenache 2019

Wasn't Morgan just on this blog? Well, they're back! And delivering that same great quality as they always do. The 2018 Highland Chardonnay is like a buttered biscuit with a side of pineapples. It's pretty oaky and you know that's my jam with Chardonnay. However, the bright and tart finish makes it more versatile with food than most oaky buttery Chards. Speaking of bright and tart, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc out of Monterey is all about the zip! There is Semillon in here so it's got a medium body and a round mouthfeel, but I hope you like Sour Patch Kids because the tartness will make your mouth pucker. And not in a bad way, because it's pretty yummy and very refreshing. It's very grassy with grapefruit and lemon. I'm drooling thinking about this with Oysters Rockefeller. Finally, it's the 2019 Rosé of Grenache. With a weighty mouthfeel and tamed acidity, this is a rosé that's meant to savor instead of porch pound. Of course there's watermelon and strawberry, but there's also vanilla and orange skin. The best part of this wine is the finish. It's super juicy and, in a big surprise, spicy.

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Tinto Rey Verdejo 2018 & Matchbook Petit Verdot 2017

Ooooooooh! It's Matchbook time again! I can't say enough about these guys, and these are probably the two wines by them that I talk to people about the most. The 2018 vintage of the Tinto Rey Verdejo is... just imagine me pinching my fingers, kissing them, and then flicking my wrist out while saying "MWAH!". Italian kissy fingers. It's got this medium to full body with a creamy mouthfeel and the perfect amount of acidity to play along with those. There's much more citrus than previous vintages but the notes of pear and honeysuckle are still there. It's just so good. Their best vintage yet. And since the first time I tasted Matchbook Petite Verdot I have not stopped raving about it. This stuff is absolutely killer and I have not met a person who hasn't tried it and not been taken back by surprise. The 2017 vintage is no exception. Big and juicy with blackberries, raisins, and violets. Full bodied, high in ethanol fumes, bright in acidity, and tight tannins. This PS is a rock star.

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Goldschmidt Vineyards ~ Singing Tree Chardonnay 2018, Katherine Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Hilary Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

I first became aware of Goldschmidt when a customer requested a special order of them about a year or so ago. I looked them up online and they seemed pretty interesting, so it's pretty cool that I actually get to taste them now. The 2018 "Singing Tree" Chardonnay is a classic lightly oaked Chardonnay. Pears, pineapple, banana. It still has a big body but only a little bit of butteriness on the midpalate and crisp on the finish. As a Chard fan, I enjoyed it. The 2018 Katherine Goldschmidt "Stonemason Hill" Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a very nice example of an Alexander Cabernet. Softer and more elegant than a Napa Cabernet but similar in profile (and my opinion better overall). Medium bodied, beautifully smooth on the mouthfeel, with notes of cassis, plums, and pepper. Delicious! To me the 2016 Hilary Goldschmidt "Charming Creek" Cabernet Sauvignon out of Oakville is juicier and has sweeter tannins. There's A LOT of vanilla going on here with notes cherries and blackberries. It may be a fruit bomb, but fruit bombs can more than others be "stress relief wines". 

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Barone Montalto Pinot Grigio & Art of Earth Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

It's so hot and humid out that even the red wine bottle is perspiring just from coming outside of the air conditioning in my house! I opened these two while cooking burgers on my new grill and they were both perfect for performing such a heroic feat of dad-dom. Barone Montalto Pinot Grigio 2019 is 100% Pinot Grigio from Sicily and it's cost you $12 retail. Bright and tart with a little bit of sweetness and very refreshing. It's loaded with lemons, pears and green apple. It's a serviceable Pinot Grigio for the price and definitely a porch pounder. Art of the Earth is a certified organic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and it'll also cost you $12 retail. Once the burgers were done, this guy went pretty damn well with them. Medium bodied with very dusty tannin, and a bursting acidity that fits right in with the wine and doesn't make you think "damn, that's bursting acidity". There's notes of plums, tomato, licorice, and sweet tobacco. Again, for the price it's a solid bottle of wine. Maybe let it open up so that tannin calms down a bit.

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