Mountains of Flavor in Mouton Cadet

As most of you all know, Sunday night is steak night, and this Sunday was no exception.  H.E.B. still had their tremendous deals on NY Strips so dinner was a no-brainer.  However, the wine selection required a little thought.  Both Pris and I were thinking about a bold French red to go with dinner, the question was which one.  We decided on a 2008 Mouton Cadet Bordeaux that is a mix of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc.  This wine was recommended to us by our friend Yvonne Welther, the same one who whips up some great food at Feldman's Market Center.  Of course on the day she recommended it they were out there.  However, later we did find it at H.E.B.

This is a lovely deep dark red wine that seemed to promise loads of flavor.  The nose is complex, with a heavy alcohol concentration to start.  But it mellows as it breathes leaving behind hints of cherry and black currant.  The Mouton is smooth, rich, and laden with dark heavy fruits.  This is a well balanced wine with easy going tannins and a smooth slightly spicy finish.

We let the wine breathe for a little over an hour before we poured through the aerator.  It still needed to breathe some in the glass though.  As it opened up more the flavors mellowed nicely.  Today the wine is even more mellow and smooth, so I'd definitely leave it open for a couple hours or use a decanter on this one, you won't regret it.

This Bordeaux went tremendously well with the steak, which I'm going to brag a little, was cooked to perfection.  It was almost too easy to finish the glass while eating.  Take a juicy bite of steak, then a sip of wine, repeat. The long grain rice and salad were really just bit players in the whole affair.  If you're looking for a deep red wine that's not too dry to go with a good chunk of beef, this is it.

Mouton Cadet's Bordeaux can be found at both H.E.B. and Feldman's.  They may have it at Jones too, but I'm not 100% sure.  It sells for about $10, so not only is it a great wine, its a great priced wine.  The price tag combined with the quality definitely puts it on our list of everyday wines to keep on stock.  If you want more info on Mouton Cadet and their wines you can go to:  http://www.moutoncadet.com/