Robert Mondavi Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) 2002

For dinner tonight, I cut some flank steak into small pieces, which I then dusted with corn starch in a coarse sieve so that I could shake off the excess. I then stir fried it in my trusty Calphalon 12-Inch Nonstick Pan over fairly high heat (8 out of 10) in a bit of olive oil (not EVOO), seasoning it with ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (but no salt, for reasons that shall become obvious).

After 4 minutes, I turned the heat down to 7, added some green onions sliced into one-inch pieces on the diagonal, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic, and 1 teaspoon of grated ginger. I stirred them together for 30 seconds. Then I added ¼ cup low sodium organic beef broth, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, and ½ tablespoon Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. I cranked the heat up to high and reduced the sauce by half. I then added one tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce and ½ tablespoon sesame oil. After 30 seconds, I poured the mixture over 1 container of Annie Chun's Express Sprouted Brown Rice.

If I dare say so myself, yum.

As a libation, I poured a 2002 Mondavi Cabernet. It's drinking really well right now. It still has a lot of youthful red and black fruit, but it is also showing some lovely maturity markers. Slight sediment justified decanting and an additional 30 minutes breathing opened it beautifully. Silky smooth. Cassis, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, cedar, vanilla, smoke. Yum. Grade: A-/A