Champagne and Cali

Dinner at Noble Imperial.

La Closerie Ampersand - a little yeast on the nose. There's good acidity balance with good depth on the palate.

2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri - 2/3 roussanne, 1/3 viognier. Started drinking 30 minutes after opening. Initially the wine was too warm, but showed lemon and vanilla on the nose while it was sweet and ripe on the palate. It was also very sweet on the nose thanks to the vanilla, and almost some pineapple. Very buttery. Got so much better after chilling.

Henri Giraud MV Rosé, dégorgée le 15 Juin 2022 - served a little too war, but it's got good depth on the palate with some bitterness starting mid-palate and carried to the finish. Nose of strawberries, as one would expect.

2002 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - double-decanted and stoppered for 2½ hours before popping the cork again. Minty with a nice whiff of smoke, there's some nice and ripe fruit along with coconut butter. Very smooth on the palate but still got the concentration, very much in its prime.

Full post on dinner is here.