I yesterday posted (scroll down to the next article) that I would be having for dinner Japanese Wagyu Beef, O-Toro Sashimi and the just arrived Cardinal Rule 2013 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon:
Over 30 years ago, Stephen Scharf, JD ’74, and Leslie Scharf, ’73, of Cardinal Rule planted the very first grapes on the steep hillsides of the picturesque Dry Creek Valley, just north of Sonoma. From the beginning, the vineyard produced high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in small lots.
The Stanford connection runs deep for Cardinal Rule. Partners Warren Loui, JD/MBA ’80, and Rose Chan, ’82, joined the Scharfs in 2001 with the goal of making limited-production wines that they could share with friends and family. With the able assistance of winemaker Erik Miller, they continue to create wonderful wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the Dry Creek Valley appellation. The 2013 Cardinal Rule Cabernet is made with grapes from selected blocks in the Scharf family vineyard.
However, I will first mention that earlier in the day I golfed at the Ala Wai Golf Course with Edmund Cheng, a colleague at the University of Hawaii, who retired as chairman of the Civil Engineering Department. Grace and Ed have three sons, all practicing physicians.
He is doing an incredible job as grandfather to five, and still golfs four or five times/week. I'm partly responsible for this, as I was one of those who introduced him to the game when he retired. He looks great, and one reason, he says, is that he sleeps 10 hours/night and takes Basis from Elysium. The active ingredient is nicotinamide riboside, with pterostilbene, endorsed by six Nobel Prize laureates. He indicated that this pill costs about $1/day.
On the way home from golf I stopped by J-Shop and bought a pound of Japanese Wagyu Beef and a small amount of O-toro:
That's only one-third slice, for I froze the rest. If you can read the small print, you will see that this is the most I've ever paid for this product. However, here is a photo of wagyu beef that costs $217/pound in Japan. I've seen higher. I'm not sure how much that piece of bluefin tuna weighed, but it most surely was less than half a pound. The reason is that the New Year's period is getting close and prices for these types of items get ridiculously high in Japan.
I also bought some shiitake mushrooms and zingiber myoga (which is also known as ginger bracts). Some cut onions in the corner.
As I walked by one of my aquaria, I noticed a bright rainbow reflection. Those are neons and algae eaters.
This was sunset, the perfect setting for a fabulous meal. I might add that since Kilauea Volcano stopped erupting, the occasional haze has disappeared. Our air pollution is again one of the lowest on Planet Earth.
The chartreuse green color of the pan handle is just about what a green flash looks like. I should mention to the uninitiated that the sky does not turn green like this first photo. It is a tiny flash on the horizon:
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I might mention that ocean storms are beginning to appear in the southern hemisphere.
My second science lesson of the day begins with a question. Who remembers the last hurricane in the South Atlantic Ocean? Wind shear, mostly, prevents the formation of this cyclonic storm in that region. The ONLY hurricane in the south Atlantic ever in recorded history is Catarina in 2004. Hurricane Catarina attained a maximum wind speed of around 100 MPH and made landfall over Brazil.
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