Parisian Champagne Bar Opening in Former Noble Riot Space

In August, when RiNo wine bar Noble Riot made the surprise announcement that it was shuttering for good, it was no small shock — over its six-year run, it had gained a loyal following t

hanks to a focus on natural wines, a robust wine education and wine club program, and a fabulously “classy-meets-trashy” vibe complete with wine and fried chicken pairings.

While Noble Riot is no more, the wine will continue to flow at 1336 27th Street with a new concept, La Vie en Rose.

The owners of neighboring Nocturne Jazz and Supper Club have taken over the space and plan to transform it into a Parisian champagne and cocktail bar, named after the classic Edith Piaf song (also made famous by Louis Armstrong and, more recently, Lady Gaga’s version in A Star Is Born).

“It’s just a nice complementary space to Nocturne without the live music, and giving people a place to have a little more connection,” says Nicole Mattson, who, with her husband Scott, owns Nocturne; from 2019 to 2023, they were also co-owners of Noble Riot with partner Troy Bowen. “I think the Denver scene is somewhat casual in a lot of aspects, and so I think sometimes you’re hesitant to splurge on that bottle of Burgundy or the Beaujolais that you’ve had your eye on. You may not want to do that on just a casual every day, but maybe if you’re doing a full date night, that’s something that you want to explore a little bit more.”

That means Noble Riot’s industrial, punk rock aesthetic will be replaced by French art nouveau, complete with plush velvet seating, red and pink hues, and a built-in champagne bowl, designed in partnership with Regular Architecture (the firm behind such Denver favorites as Brutø, the Wolf’s Tailor, Beckon and Sap Sua). The wine focus will shift from small-batch, low-intervention producers to classic French regions like Burgundy, Beaujolais and, of course, Champagne, all stored in a glass-walled wine “cave.”

All told, this represents a 180-degree shift from Noble Riot’s approach, which Mattson assures is not an indictment of the former bar’s approach, but is 100 percent intentional nonetheless.

“A lot of what Noble Riot was about was demystifying wine and helping people learn more about it,” Mattson says. “Flash back to 2019, the people of Denver did kind of need a little bit of educating. There weren’t a lot of wine lists where you could find an orange wine. And now, there are often several, and I think people know what those are now, which is fantastic. But I think the need right now is less explaining and education, and more evoking joy and bringing people together. We’re trying to create an evocative place that feels appropriate to open up a bottle of champagne or have a fancy cocktail.”

As far as food is concerned, the plan is to have “champagne-friendly” finger foods and hors d’oeuvres. The team is still workshopping the menu, with no word on whether the fried chicken will remain (it is a classic champagne pairing, after all). A private dining area is also in the works, which patrons will be able to reserve for multi-course private wine dinners and similar events. 

The idea is to bring a decidedly elegant space to the RiNo neighborhood, which is still trying to cling to its gritty past. While the area has seen its fair share of fancier additions of late, most have opened in newly constructed buildings on the northwest side of the railway tracks. La Vie En Rose will border Denver Central Market, with its graffiti-lined alleyway just a stone’s throw from the very un-Parisienne Meadowlark and Larimer Lounge. Should make for some interesting closing-time mingling on the streets of RiNo. (Perhaps it’s best that La Vie En Rose guests will access the new space from the Nocturne entrance rather than the alleyway.)

“I think Noble Riot was like a provocateur,” says Mattson. “But I think we’re getting a lot of provocation from every angle of our life, so now it’s more like, ‘What do you want to drink,’ and let’s just do that.”

La Vie En Rose plans to open next spring at 1336 27th Street. For more information, visit lverosebar.com.