Robert Biale Vineyards Zinfandel Black Chicken 2021, 750ml, Napa Valley, California

The “Black Chicken” name dates from Aldo Biale’s first venture in selling wine from the vineyard in the 1940s. To hide his activity from neighbors on his party line phone, Aldo’s customers ordered “a dozen black chickens” to get a case of wine. The black chicken code refers to the famous rooster crest used on Chianti Classico. The fruit hand-picked and hand sorted to ensure that only the best fruit makes it into the fermenter. The grapes are then crushed and gravity fed into open top tanks. The must is cold soaked for 2 to 4 days at 50°F. “We then inoculate the must with commercial yeast strains. For color and tannin extraction, we do 2 to 3 punch downs per day. Fermentation is usually complete after 14 to 16 days at a maximum temperature of 86°F. At dryness, we lightly press to 100% Burgundy oak barrels of which 20% are new.” – Winery. Malolactic fermentation is completed in the barrels. The wine was aged in barrels for fourteen months. Tasting Notes: Sourced primarily from Biale’s estate vineyards in the Oak Knoll district, this wine is round and plush with a gentle grip of perfectly ripe tannins. A spectrum of red and dark fruits – raspberries, cherries, blackberries, bright vivid aromas, fine-grained texture, star anise, black and white pepper, cocoa, subtle nuanced oak. Age worthy, compelling, decadent: a beautifully proportioned Napa Valley Zinfandel.

$57.99