RAPHAEL 2017 ESTATE MALBEC and STEAK DINNER 29 MAR 2022

 

Jo was out with a friend, so I was left to create my dinner.  The solution was to do a classic steak and wine dinner.  First was the selection of the wine.  We did a pickup and tasting a few weeks ago at Raphael Vineyards-liwinedad.  One of the wines includes a Raphael Vineyard - 2017 Estate Malbec, which was very good, so we brought two bottles home.  With the wine selected, next was the meal to pair with the wine.  A hearty wine like the Malbec calls for a USDA Choice (Not prime) rib-eye steak with trimmings.

The Raphael Vineyards2017 Estate Malbec is a fine example of a Long Island Malbec and has found a fine home at Raphael’s, notwithstanding the grapes’ French heritage and Argentina being a second home.  Malbec’s color is rich, dark purple with a touch of bright garnet at the fringes.  The nose is red berries, Cherries, and Raspberry with light alcohol (Figure 1).   Black cherry and raspberry come forward with a hint of plum on the palate.  Pleasant tannins and easy-on acid all contribute to a shorter finish.  Raphael provided a short description of the wine, attached in Figure 2. 

There is still a chill in the air, so I passed on grilling the steak outside but decided on sous vide approach instead.  The steak came from Stew Leonards and was a USDA Choice Grade (Figure 3) cut about 1 inch thick.  The selection of a Malbec, which traditionally is medium to lower tannins and acid, would pair better with a Choice Grade steak rather than a Prime Grade.  Cooking was easy.  First, a light rub with McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning the into sous vide bag with sprigs of Rosemary, Thyme, and sliced garlic cloves.  The Steak cooked for 1 hour at 120⁰F (I like it rare) in the water bath.  The steak was finished on each side in a raging hot Cast Iron Skillet with a bit of Ghee and basted with the bag juices for about one minute per side.  For a vegetable, one favorite is young Brussel sprouts with a fine dice ham and Irish butter (yes, it makes a difference) sauce.

Bring it all together table side provided a quick, easy, healthy meal for a weeknight (Figure 4). 

FIG 1 - RAPHAEL VINEYARD 2017 ESTATE MALBEC

FIG 2 - RAPHAEL 2017 ESTATE MALBEC

FIG 3 - USDA BEEF GRADE CHART

FIG 4 - RAPHAEL MALBEC AND STEAK DINNER