2006 Coppola Diamond Claret

Sally, a dear friend of the Benito household, was in town to visit The Roommate and help her recover from recent surgery. (You may have seen her recent comments on last week's cocktail extravaganza.) As thanks and because I look for any excuse to make a nice dinner, I decided to try out an idea I had around steak. I snagged a couple of two inch thick grass-fed ribeyes and cut them in half. Each segment was tied with kitchen twine and formed into rounds more common to filet mignon.

These were marinated and then slow cooked in the oven at 200°F until medium rare, then seared in a skillet for surface texture and caramelization. The steaks were then topped with bleu cheese and homemade red onion marmalade. This onion preparation is a seriously incredible accompaniment to any dish and I strongly suggest you make a batch immediately. Throw it on a grilled cheese sandwich and you're going to have drool running down your chin.

On the side we've got Farmers Market brandywine tomatoes, green beans, and store-bought broccolini. For the wine, Paul was kind enough to bring over a bottle of the 2006 Coppola Diamond Claret from Sonoma. $20, 13.8% abv. 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Verdot, 7% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc. I've been a longtime fan of this wine and have written about it several times. This vintage doesn't disappoint, and provides great dark berry flavors and aromas, a touch of spice and tobacco, a little leather, and of course a Bordeaux blend is always a great pairing for steak.