Restaurant: Napa Rose
Location: 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802 (714) 635-2300
Date: August 30, 2018
Cuisine: Californian
Rating: Unimaginative but solid
With Foodie Club key member Fred moving to Florida soon he’s been pulling out all the wine stops. So, given that he lives in OC and so does another guy, we decided to bring some crazy wines all the way down through 2-3 hours of traffic to:
The “iconic” flagship restaurant of the Disney empire set in the Grand Californian.
They have a lot of wine.
And an elaborate Disney-style build out.
Really elaborate. Strange place too. Expensive. Middle America Disney crowd in shorts. High end wines. Flat (contemporary) Americana food. Excellent service.
We brought some serious stuff:
Kent brought: 1991 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96. Coche’s 1991 Corton-Charlemagne is a wine of extraordinary precision and weightless elegance. Orchard fruit, white flowers, slate and white peppers are all beautifully delineated throughout. Striking in its perfume and transparency, the 1991 is simply magnificent today. Time in bottle has given the 1991 its unctuous texture, yet the wine remains remarkably fresh and capable of drinking well for another decade, perhaps more. What a gorgeous wine this is. (Drink between 2016-2026)
agavin: one of the best white wines I’ve ever had. Just amazing, floral, complex.
2004 Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne. BH 95. A positively gorgeous and impressively refined nose of green apple fruit, pear and a distinct floral note complements perfectly the unbelievably complex and hugely powerful flavors that seem to be carved out of a solid block of stone. This is a massive wine that is textured, concentrated and muscular yet it remains precise, pure and balanced with a finale that seems to go on and on without end. One of the great wines of the vintage and one that will live for years. Don’t touch it for at least five years and it will easily improve for ten.
agavin: nice, but a touch of the meany greenies.
2006 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet en la Richarde. VM 94. Pale yellow color. Rather austere but complex nose offers stone fruits, fenugreek and a peppery nuance. Intensely flavored and fine-grained, with wonderfully high-pitched flavors of citrus fruits, crystallized pineapple, white pepper, flowers and minerals. Classy, weightless wine with a very long, brisk, mineral-tinged finish. Much more austere than the Meursaults that preceded it.
agavin: really nice, super young too
We bought off the list! 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet. VM 97. A big, rich, almost tannic wine, the 1999 Montrachet exudes raw power. Layers of deeply spiced stone fruits, almonds, smoke, chamomile and orange peel fill out the wine’s large, ample frame. This bold, structured Montrachet has enough depth to drink well for another 10-15 years. Although a wine of brawn more than finesse, the 1999 is super-impressive today. (Drink between 2015-2025)
again: it’s been forever since I had DRC Monty and this one was thin at first, but really opened up after a while.
From my cellar: 2009 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. VM 96. The 2009 Meursault Genevrières is similar in style to the Rougeots, which is to say quite big and rich, but here I find endless layers of minerality that frame the huge, building finish. The purity of the fruit is truly dazzling.
agavin: amazing but so young and taught. Tons of sweet tarts.
The menu.
Awesome bread.
Zucchini Tart with Stuffed Squash Blossom and Summer Squash Sauce.
Barbequed Bristol Bay Diver Scallop with Forager Mushrooms, Apple Bacon and Summer Peaches.
Handcrafted Rabbit Bratwurst. Local Figs, Hazelnuts, Grilled Endive, and Saba Vinaigrette.
Roasted Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms, Brentwood corn, fava beans and sage tossed with housemade pappardelle pasta.
Signature Pizzetta of “La Quercia” smoked Prosciutto, black mission figs, caramelized onions and cambazola cheese.
Roasted Roulade of Rocky Free Range Chicken. English Peas, tender Parisian Gnocchi and Morel Mushrooms.
Grilled Sustainable Fish. Shrimp, Summer Squash Caponata and Charred Tomato Eggplant Purée.
Grilled “Maple Leaf Farms” Duck Breast. Summer Peach and White Radicchio Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds.
Roasted Double Lamb Chop with lemon oregano braised lamb shoulder ragu of snap peas and fingerling potatoes.
The dessert menu.
Valrhona Dolce Crunch covered in Dark Chocolate Ganache, caramelized bananas and honey sauce.
Celebration of Summer Blackberries with a delicate lemon posset.
Manjari Chocolate Decadent. Macadamia nuts, mango passion fruit sorbet.
Old Fashioned Pecan Crumble Cake. Really good cherries and Creme Fraiche Ice Cream.
Overall, I had low expectations for Napa Rose and it far surpassed them. The build out reminded me of the Disney cruise, but the service was really top notch, if resort-like (duh). The menu was “boring” but execution turned out to be quite good so most of the dishes — particularly the appetizers and desserts — were very tasty.
But really it was the wines that stood out. These were crazy good White Burgundies and really interesting. We are even planning on returning for a repeat event.
