So, here we are . . . 12-13-12 . . . no magic.  No perfect alignment of the stars, the planets, Jupiter or Mars.  Nope.  Just another day . . . like yesterday.  Maybe because we’ve been around for a while or maybe because we’ve become a little cynical, the hype (media driven, of course) about yesterday (being 12-12-12) and about the upcoming Mayan calendar timeline (12-21-12) . . . it just doesn’t register.  Wasn’t it last year that a “foreseer” forecast the end of the world not once, but TWICE in the same year?  How about that for padding the plate?  What’s sad is that people actually believed him and sold all of their possessions to anticipate the ‘end of the world’.   Maybe we’ve become naive as a country – or maybe we’ve been spoon fed way too much television, but the last time we checked, there were a whole lot more reasons to live, grow and prosper than to sell, prepare and die.

It’s almost as if we grasp everything that is dished to us as ‘gospel truth’ . . . when a teacher, who has more of an impact on a child’s life earns around $40,000 a year (some more than others), but a television ‘icon’ who gets pregnant and then earns roughly $2-3 million?  As they say on Sportscenter, “C’mon Man!”  You want to talk about misplaced priorities?  Sports ‘heroes’ earn $50-$100 million a year . . . teachers, oh, sorry, already noted at $40,000.

Only the strong survive . . .

Tonight, we opened a Central Market special, a 2010 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon.  Regularly priced at $19.99, it was on sale for $14.99 during our most recent trip.  So, to enjoy a good named wine at a good price seemed like the right thing to do on the day AFTER 12-12-12!  Well, maybe it was because the planets hadn’t lined up for us or that the Mayan calendar had a glitch in it, but we weren’t feeling it with tonight’s selection.  Oh, the nose was enticing.  The oak and smokiness was there as was the undertones of tobacco and cedar.  For us, it seemed like we were walking into a ‘rainforest’ of wine perfection.  That all changed on the taste . . . kind of like drinking something that causes the ‘pucker up’ in your neck . . . you know, just a wee bit too tough to swallow?  Yeah, this wine just didn’t hit it for us.  Now, we can tell you that as it opened up, the wine smoothed out significantly, but it was too late – the damage was done.  If you’re going to buy a bottle of wine – regardless of the price point–and your goal is to open the bottle to enjoy it, then it ought to be good from the start.  Unfortunately for us, this Rodney Strong was anything but, and it probably is yet another example of a large corporate winery, producing less than superb wine simply because a lot of people will buy it just for the name.  We did.  It didn’t. We won’t.

Needless to say, at 103 days into this journey, we expected more from this 2010 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon.  We’ve had their Gnarly Vine Zinfandel (which is not to be confused with Gnarly Head Zinfandel – don’t drink it – it will make your head gnarly) and been mesmerized by the fruit and spice, but not with tonight’s wine.  Which is a good reason why we are trying 365 different wines in 365 days.  The cold hard reality is that some will rise to the top and some will sink to the bottom.  No disrespect–just a couple of folk’s opinion that is just as easily disputed by someone who swears by the wine!  Once again, that’s what makes wine tasting so amazing – you’re going to like something or dislike something because of how it TASTES!  It’s why you buy the wine!

So, even though today is just ANOTHER day . . . no fancy date to get people’s attention.  And it’s Thursday, the 13th and not Friday the 13th . . . so nothing exciting there.  Good news is that the world is still here and tomorrow is Friday! We guess, it’s just another day where only the strong survive and we hope that you did just that!  And regardless of your wine of choice, please remember to enjoy it responsibly and recycle whenever possible!