Champagne and Cali

Dinner at Neighborhood.

Eric Rodez Cuvée des Grands Vintages - very yeasty nose with a little brioche. Good acidity balance on the palate, but later on the acidity got more prominent.

Krug Grande Cuvée, (160ème Édition), ID 111005 - nice and caramelized nose by now, but still got the acidity on the palate. Drinking nicely.

2021 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard - drank about 45 minutes after opening. The nose was so buttery with lovely caramelization. A little flinty and metallic notes like pear, along with some vanilla oak. Still got a decent amount of acidity on the finish, though, as it's still young.

1996 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - served about 2 hours after decanting. There was more green capsicum on the nose than I had expected, but otherwise the nose was very smoky. There was still some ripe fruit here but no longer front-and-center, while black peppercorns were now more obvious. The wine was showing pretty elegantly after about 2½ hours in the decanter, about the same time that my last bottle reached its peak.

Full post on dinner is here.