2023 Robert Biale - Zinfandel Napa Black Chicken (750ml)

The Biale family, immigrants from Northern Italy, began growing Zinfandel on their farm just outside the town of Napa in 1937. In the 1940s, a teenage Aldo Biale helped support the family by selling homemade Zinfandel under the code name "Black Chicken," a nod to the Prohibition-era practice of disguising illicit wine sales over the household party line. That family history now anchors Robert Biale Vineyards' flagship bottling, and the 2023 release marks its 25th anniversary.

The wine is sourced primarily from the cool, fog-laced Oak Knoll District, including the original Biale family vineyard, from vines averaging around 40 years old. The 2023 growing season was one of the coolest in over a decade, with ample rain and delayed budbreak giving the grapes a long, even ripening period. The wine is aged 15 months in French oak, with a smaller portion new, adding polish without masking the fruit.

Aromas of black cherry, dried herbs, and sandalwood lead into briar, licorice, and lavender, with juicy mixed berries, plum, and orange peel on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with fine, ripe tannins, it carries a long, spiced finish. Pair it with grilled Italian sausage, wood-fired pizza, or aged Asiago.