Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel 2021

Most of Napa Valley's Zinfandel vines have been torn up and replaced with Cabernet Sauvignon, but Robert Biale has stood firm in their commitment to this historic California varietal, and produce some of the best in the world. 

 

These are truly old vines (some dating to the 1880s!) and the family has long prized the small quantity of concentrated and intense fruit that they produce. 

 

Black Chicken Zinfandel is the flagship for Biale – and has become a benchmark for the varietal.  The heart of Black Chicken is sourced from vineyards in the Oak Knoll District, among them the same family vineyard Aldo, Nonna, Bob and the Biale family have farmed since the 1930’s. When you go to their estate you will be greeted by a cage of chickens - a few of which are black.

But what's with the name?

During Prohibition, Black Chicken was code for Robert Biale’s Zinfandel. It was a time when operators could listen to anyone’s phone calls, which meant that you had to come up with creative ways to cover the fact that you were selling wine (illegally).

This Zinfandel has aromas and flavors blackberry preserves, raspberry, cocoa, anise, plum, black cherry, baking spices, dried herbs, and pomegranate. It is big, bold, mouthwatering, and has the right amount of tannin to lay down for a little over five years. Black Chicken is what Napa Valley Zinfandel should be. Pair this wine with anything, everything, and all things BBQ!

 

For the past few years, this wine has been sold almost exclusively to fine dining restaurants, but we were able to score some bottles at a great price. Grab some for yourself at the nation's best price.