Chimichurri Steak + Merlot Pairing

“Simple ingredients, treated with respect... put them together and you will always have a great dish.” - Jose Andres

One of my husband’s favorite dishes ever is a dry aged steak. It’s a treat when he is able to create this dish at home. For this steak, we paired it with a homemade chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is a combination of fresh herbs and seasonings (finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar) - it truly paired wonderfully with the dry aged steak or really any grilled meat.

When selecting a wine for this dish, it was a no brainer - Merlot would be a wonderful pair. There are some wonderful Merlots on the market today, but finding one for a reasonable price, balance, and complexity can prove to be a bit challenging. Alas, I was swept off my feet with a Merlot straight from the Rutherford region in California.

Today. I am pairing a spectacular wine, 2018 Textbook Merlot with a one of a kind Dry Aged Steak entrée and it is most certainly a treat.

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Sliced dry aged coffee rub steak paired with a chimichurri sauce, accompanied by roasted garlic and herb rainbow carrots.

2018 Textbook Merlot

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2018 Textbook Merlot

This merlot is absolutely stunning, and for less than $20 it was a steal. My WSET Level 2 classmate recommended this lovely bottle during my visit to our local Whole Foods, and she was incredibly right - I’d fall in love with this wine.

Here are the notes on the 2018 Textbook Merlot:

• Oak: vanilla and chocolate

• Black fruit: blackberry, plum, and black cherry

• Earth: leather, hickory, and smoke

This Merlot is from California - Rutherford to be exact. The 2018 Textbook Merlot is bursting with flavor, and such a dynamic merlot for the price point. It is bold and smooth - the perfect balance. At first sip, it is soft on the palate, and dry on the finish.

I chose this wine for this dish as it was an outstanding compliment to the smoked dry aged steak. Mesquite wood was used in the smoking process, thus giving this protein a nice hearty flavor - the perfect match to this merlot pairing.

Any beef, lamb, or veal dish would compliment this wine perfectly - but this Chimichurri Steak is the optimal pairing.

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Sliced smoked medium rare dry aged steak.

XO, Analise

Cork & Fork: Brown Napa Valley + Food Pairings

“A gourmet meal without a glass of wine just seems tragic to me somehow.” ― Kathy Mattea

I absolutely love trying new wines, and supporting Black-owned businesses is something I’m always a huge advocate for. So, when I heard wonderful things about Brown Estate in Napa Valley, it was a must that I try their wines.

Brown Estate - Napa Valley, is the first Black-owned estate winery in its respective county. Their wines are stellar, and I was so thrilled to support and receive my order from this wonderful establishment.

Today, I’m sharing the six bottles I ordered, and pairing them with my favorite recipes on the blog! Check out my wine and meal pairings below.

The line up from Brown Estate - Napa Valley.

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2018 Chaos Theory

This wine is simply wonderful. It is medium bodied, smooth tannins, and so well balanced. It is a blend of the following varietals:

• 50% Napa Valley Petite Sirah

• 40% Napa Valley Merlot

• 10% Sierra Foothills Zinfandel

The notes on this wine are guava, passion fruit, red fruit - cherry and raspberry, black fruit - plum and blackberry. Also, there are some subtle notes of oak, tobacco, and persimmon. This wine is bold, dry, medium to high tannin, and medium to high acid. Chaos Theory will leave you with a smooth finish, inviting you to take another sip.

My ideal food pairing with this wine is a Short Rib Stir Fry. It would compliment the wine perfectly and provide the optimal balance. The beef and seasoned vegetables and rice would pair wonderfully with the red blend.

Food Pairing:

Short Rib Stir Fry - find my recipe here

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2018 Napa Valley Zinfandel

The 2018 Zinfandel produced at Brown was absolutely lovely. It was bold, dominant in black fruit, such as blackberry, plum, and blueberry. You’ll get some oak on the palate as well as red fruit - cherry, strawberry, and a hit of raspberry.

There are some herb notes like clove, and hints of forest floor - leaves and pine kissed with orange. Over all, this wine is well balanced in fruit and acid.

This wine is unique and lovely, it’ll pair perfectly with a Smoked Pork Chop. The protein has the perfect balance of sweet and smoky, which will complement the Zinfandel so well.

Food Pairing:

Smoked Pork Chop - find my recipe here

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2018 Merlot

The Merlot is a perfect balance of dry, smooth, soft, and bold notes on the palate. You’ll get a hint of cinnamon, black and blue fruits, leather, and herbaceous notes.

This wine has a medium body, and the finish is long. The perfect pair for this wine would be Grilled Lamb Lollipops. Lamb is an ideal compliment to the structure that this Merlot possesses.

Food Pairing:

Grilled Lamb Lollipops - find my recipe here

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2018 Chardonnay

This Chardonnay is aged in oak and has the following fruit notes:

• pear

• pineapple

• honeysuckle

• lemon

• guava

• lychee

• citrus - dried and candied

What makes this wine so special is how bold, silky, and full it is. It is so well balanced, and is truly exceptional. The Chardonnay has a lengthy finish, inviting you for more. In addition, to the fruit notes, there are hints of sage and jasmine. The acid in this wine is low to medium, and is so wonderful on the palate.

This wine would be perfect with a vegetarian or seafood dish, and I have recommended both. A Broccoli and Asparagus Quiche or Fried Prosecco Shrimp would be a great match.

Food Pairing(s):

Broccoli and Asparagus Quiche - find my recipe here

Fried Prosecco Shrimp - find my recipe here

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2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

This Cabernet Sauvignon is medium bodied, and the tannins are soft. You’ll get notes of citrus, spice, blackberry, boysenberry, and roses.

It’ll be an amazing match for a Smoked Prime Rib. The coffee dry rub on this protein would pair so well with this lovely wine.

Food Pairing:

Smoked Prime Rib - find my recipe here

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2017 Petite Sirah

The Petite Sirah has floral and ripe black fruit notes - plum and blackberry. Additionally, you’ll find notes of the following items:

• tobacco

• oak

• spice

• eucalyptus

• brown sugar

• cocoa

• leather

This structure is so complex thus resulting into a full bodied wine. The acid is vibrant, which yields to a medium to high level. The tannins are high, and its finish lingers after each sip.

A wine this bold deserves a protein that can match - a 45-Day Dry Aged Steak would be the perfect pair.

Food Pairing:

Dry Aged Steak - find my recipe here

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XO, Analise