Winey Tasting Notes: Celebrating a Birthday with The King of Rock and Roll

What would you serve as a beverage at a St. Patrick’s Day birthday party? I’ll bet you said “green beer” or at least “beer”, right? And I would totally agree with you, except for the fact that the birthday I am referring to is the Winey Hubby’s birthday. March 17th. The Feast of St. Patrick. The Wearin’ O’ the Green. Erin Go Brah.

Yeah, well. The Winey Hubby has not one little drop of Irish blood in him. (And I should know, I did the research on our family trees.) Neither does he like beer. Which is good that he has no Irish blood in him, he’d have to give up his Irish card. (I should also know that, coming from an Irish American family that bleeds green and where the beer flows freely. Not to mention the whiskey. I can admit it now: most of my cousins and I had our first sips of hard alcohol from our grandfather’s whiskey sour glass. With a cherry. It was the ’70’s, okay?)

 But back to the Winey Hubby. No, he doesn’t like beer. He doesn’t much like fussy birthdays either. It is a low key affair around here. The menu usually revolves around steak, the cake is simple, the presents are books and music and the beverage is decidedly not beer.

That does not mean that I cannot toast the guy in my own winey way though. And this year, I found a fun way to raise my glass and honor Hubs at the same time. The guy loves, loves, loves his music, so what better bottle to invite to his birthday than one honoring the King – Elvis Presley.

Elvis has a winery. Of course he does. Elvis Presley Wine Cellars is in California, and they make wines that celebrate the King’s legacy in music. A little Jailhouse Rock Merlot? Maybe some Blue Suede Chardonnay? On this night, however, I went with The King of Rock and Roll Cabernet Sauvignon (2008, 14.5%, CA). I did not find this wine on my own – I was directed there by the brilliant minds behind Likelii, a wine search engine site (Winey Search Notes: Can Likelii Keep You From the Aimless Wandering of Wine Aisles?). The King arrived on my doorstep in plenty of time for the the celebration and was duly invited to the celebration.

This is a dusky maroon colored wine. On the nose, you get some black plum and cherry with a tiny tweak of tart pomegranate. You taste the cherry right away, and it’s followed by some yummy mocha. It finishes of oak tannins. They hang around for a bit – not too long though – and leave you with a taste of oak and warmth in the mouth. The King has a hit with this one. None of that new wave, emo rock and roll here. This is classic Cabernet Sauvignon with a great taste. It would be a good one to serve at a party cause it’s not too big a red, but it’s not so fruity that you want to sip it with a straw either.  Just don’t pair it with peanut butter and banana sandwiches, an Elvis favorite. Do this wine a favor and serve it with a good steak or pork chops. It would also go nicely with chocolate birthday cake. And I’m talking chocolate cake with really thick chocolate butter cream frosting.

So happy birthday to the Hubby, and happy wine-ing to Elvis and his Cabernet Sauvignon! And to those of us that sip it.

Cheers!