Grilled Steak and Bordeaux Wine
There are no secrets between good friends or lovers. That seems like a great way to approach life and cooking. That’s because there are no secrets to red Bordeaux food pairing,  or any wine with food.
Books have been written about the subject. Bloggers have waxed poetically on their search for the perfect wine and food pairing. News flash! Alert the media. With a few minor exceptions, if you like a food and you enjoy a style of wine, they are going to work just fine. How is this possible? Because you have your own sense of taste.
Using your sense of taste, there a few tips in the kitchen to help you prepare the perfect cut of beef. Like wine and wine/food pairings, we all have our own sense of taste. Some people prefer their meat well done. That would not be me. Others go for medium, which leaves a bare essence of pink color in the brown middle. That’s not my style either. Most of my family prefer medium rare. There is a nice, red color to the middle when done correctly. However, with a great cut of dry aged beef, I prefer between rare and medium rare.
Regardless of how you like it, the most important thing you can do is allow your beef to come to room temperature before cooking it.  Bring it out of the refrigerator for at least an hour, if not more., before cooking Use a piping hot grill, pan or roasting oven. Heat is your friend. With some finishing salt, fresh cracked pepper and if you wish, fresh herbs and possibly great olive oil, you’re all set.
If you’re seeking something between rare and medium rare, depending on the level of heat and the thickness of the cut, cook it for 2-4 minutes on the first side. Flip it and let it cook for 1–2 minutes on the second side, and you’re done. Let it rest for a few minutes after cook to allow the juices to return to the center and season to taste.
You’re almost done. There are only two things left to do. Open a bottle of wine you like and make sure you share it with friends or family and you’re set.
We chose a nice, Bordeaux wine from Pauillac. While young, it’s nice to see how these wines are coming along at different stages in their life.
2003 Chateau Pontet Canet – Decanted for two hours and tasted over the next two hours, the perfume offered cassis, licorice, earth, truffle, smoke, black plums, earth, cedar wood and green peppers. Full bodied with voluptuous textures, the wine finishes with a rich, refined, cassis, chocolate and juicy black plum finish. While not mature, this beautiful Pauillac is delivering a lot of pleasure and will only get better over the next several decades. If you have a case and want to see where the first outstanding vintage from Alfred Tesseron is at, you will not be disappointed. This is my best score for this wine yet. Over the next decade, it might even go higher! 95 Pts
