Ever since our girls went off to college, friends and family alike have accused us of being empty nesters and spontaneous.  Well, time to bust these myths apart.

One, we are not empty nesters – just because the girls are not under our roof 24/7, they are still very much still on “the payroll”. We prefer to think of ourselves as “empty bedroomers”.  True one room now belongs to Pepper, Andie and Jasmine and the other is more of a guest room – but indeed we love it when the girls are here for a short or extended visit and they are always welcome.  Add, most importantly, we will keep them on the payroll as long as need be.

Two:  We have been spontaneous long before now.  We have been known to drive straight through to Denver from St. Louis at the last minute to attend a godson’s First Communion.  The reaction of sister Sharon was priceless – opened the door, screamed then slammed the door (no worries, she recovered and reopened the door to welcome us with open arms).  The next day we did the reverse after Mass and arrived home around 1 a.m. – but were both on time for work the next day.  We’ve been known to drive to Houston on a whim to see our beloved Cardinals play the Astros; going to the beach for the afternoon (and of course getting shrimp while there); getting up one weekend morning and deciding that it was a good day to drive 3 plus hours to take daughter #1 to lunch, or even leaving work at noon to drive four hours to have dinner with a friend that just received not so good health news and be back before midnight – hopefully you get the picture that we believe in the immortal words spoken by Robin Williams character in “Dead Poets Society” – Carpe Diem!

So seize the day like we did when we opened a bottle of Cedar Knoll Vineyard Company 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa.  The wine was BIG, BOLD and BEAUTIFUL!  Lots of vanilla on the nose (reminds Jean of a story she heard at work today about a lady who blogs about vanilla – apparently there are big differences . . . who knew?).  Ok, back to the wine – let’s start with the color – dark burgundy, almost inky in consistency (there’s a little sample on the label in the photo above).  As mentioned, the nose was big vanilla, but that didn’t translate to the taste buds, also a sniff of spice could be detected – the oak was toasty and very noticeable on the nose as well.  The taste was a big as Texas, and that’s big!  A combination of Black Cherry, Anise, Lavender, Pepper, Oak and a smooth earthy finish were found in our glasses.  The finish was long and just like the Energizer Bunny , it just kept going and going.

This is a wine that goes well with beef, pork or even a nice piece of Salmon cooked on an alder or cedar plank on the grill.  Toss in some roasted vegetables or grilled romaine and you’ve got a meal to beat the band.  The price point is one that won’t break the bank, but will impress others with your knowledge of a really good bottle of wine, and you will enjoy it to the last drop.

Enjoy your night and remember to be spontaneous from time to time – it keeps one young and unpredictable.  By the way, sorry this is late – we were off being “spontaneous” – see photo below (Marie, we had an angel along for the ride – and the good guys won).

Remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.