Two Angels High Valley Divinity 2006

I've been looking back over my notes on some wines I really liked during the past year or so.  I had this High Valley wine in the summer of '09, and at the time I was not keenly aware of the Lake County appellation.  Having enjoyed other wines from that region since, I'm a believer.  Here's what I thought about Two Angels Divinity at the time:

"A classic Rhone bottle with a lovely piece of artwork by Jacob DeBacker, done in 1591. The two cherubs in the piece are said to represent the two sides of wine - happily inebriated and sadly remorseful. I'd like to think that I rarely go to either of those extremes. I'll take the art as a word of warning, however, and try to stay in the middle ground. Very little else about the wine is learned on the label, save for an ABV number of 14.1%.   To the internet I go, to find the makeup of this wine. It is a Rhone blend of 52% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 6% Petite Sirah. $25.

"The aromas are rich, if not pungent. Much dark fruit and a spicy, leathery component make for a complicated smell. I get blueberry, plum, some pepper and licorice. It's dark, but invitingly so.

"It drinks a bit on the hot side if you rush it. Better let this wine calm down quite a bit before imbibing, or the tannins will have their way with your palate. Once you're past that, it's a brooding drink. Sit the glass on the table and walk around the room a bit. Watch television for a spell. Then turn it off and go back to the glass, perhaps sneaking up from a different angle. Take your time, and the joy will begin. This is a good wine, a very good one. But it's not something to bring to a party. I drank it without food, and enjoyed it. I do think it would go very nicely with a charcoal-grilled steak, even a hamburger right off the grill. Beef Stroganoff, perhaps. But the food just might shift the focus away from a wine that clearly wants every bit of your attention. And deserves it."