Beer and Wine do Mix! Frei Borther's Reserve Merlot

I don't know why, but we're really behind on our posts right now.  Not only that, its been a really slow week wine wise.  Thanks to the wonders of vacuum sealers for wine we're still nursing last Sunday's bottle.

Along with drinking more wine, Pris and I have been getting a little more adventurous with our cooking.  That means more time in the kitchen and less time on the keyboard posting.  So for last Sunday's dinner I decided to try a Shiner Bock braised chuck roast with garlic roasted potatoes.  It was a bit time consuming, but well worth it.  To go with this exceedingly rich meal Pris selected a bottle of Frei Brother's 2007 Reserve Merlot.

The Reserve Merlot is exceedingly smooth with a big fruit nose.  On the palate this wine is all mellowness with loads of dark fruit and lots of oak.  There are even some chocolate notes around the mid-palate.  Robust tannins allow for a bold spicy finish with lots of texture that hits you and then its gone.  No lingering finish here.

While technically a Merlot, this wine is actually a blend of 96% Merlot, 3% Petite Sirah, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine went really well with the meal.  The deep fruit and oak was a great compliment to the deep sweet flavor of the braised beef.  Slow cooking beef in a nice dark beer really brings out the best flavor components of both ingredients.  The Merlot held up nicely with the strong savory flavors of the roasted potatoes.  Any wine that can stand up to strong garlic potatoes is a wine for me.

We picked up the Frei Bothers at H.E.B. and it runs about $17.24 a bottle.  For more information of this and other Frei Brothers wines you can visit: http://www.freibrothers.com/