I thought this Two Angles Petite Sirah would be a fun change of pace from the usual selection of reds we’ve been reviewing. This is a big, spicy red from Lake County, CA which is a little ways north of Napa, and slightly inland from the Pacific.
The wines I’ve tasted from around Lake County over the years have usually been on the mediocre side of things, although they are typically priced much less than their more expensive neighbors to the south; so you have to consider that as well.
This bottle was a screaming deal, even moreso than I thought at the time I picked it up. Retail price is $27, and Wine.com sells the prior vintage for $19. My Costco was selling this for $13.89, so a hefty discount all things considered.
And if you hit that retail link above that went to Wine Enthusiast review for the wine, you’ll see they went 90 points on it. I think that’s a bit high, but take it for what it’s worth.
The wine was hot coming right out of the bottle and definitely needed some air time to chill out. The nose made me think of a freshly baked blueberry pie sitting on a leather car seat (not sure I’ve ever smelled that, but that was the combo I picked up). It’s thick and dark on the pour.
In the mouth it’s full bodied and powerful, with loads of blueberry and spicy cherry flavor; leather, oak, charcoal notes towards the finish that is dry and a little smoky; everything came down a notch and evened out on my second glass from the decanter; similar flavor profile, but more balanced between all the elements once the wine had some exposure out of the bottle.
I intended to pair this with some Costco ribs (always a great buy) on the Green Egg, but we ended up with steak tacos which were very nice with the wine. I do think smoky meats, ribs and pork from the grill would really shine alongside this wine.
I’m not in love with this bottle, but it was a good change up, remained interesting throughout, and would be great for an outdoor bbq, especially at Costco’s bargain basement price.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 points
Costco item number: 154625
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 14.3%