Robert Biale Vineyards
The Biale family, immigrants from Northern Italy, began growing grapes in Napa in the 1930's – Zinfandel only. Zinfandel, California's adopted grape, was widely planted by immigrants throughout the state's history as a highly flavorful red grape well-suited for its expansive range of arid climates and diverse soils. In the 1940's Aldo Biale sold bottles of illicit homemade Zinfandel known as "Black Chickens" over his party line phone service.
In Napa Valley, market pressure for Cabernet Sauvignon and other French varieties has now made Zinfandel a rare variety comprising less that 3% of the valley's grape production.
Committed to the tradition of farming Zinfandel, Aldo Biale and son Robert decided in 1991 to form a partnership with Marketer Dave Pramuk and set a goal of producing a world-class wine from the oldest Zinfandel vines on the Biale ranch in Napa's Oak Knoll District.
The inaugural wine was a quantity of 400 cases produced from 8 acres of old non-irrigated low-yielding vines called "Aldo's Vineyard." Now, under the direction of Bob Biale, Dave Pramuk, and winemaker Steve Hall, Biale has established itself in the Cabernet Sauvignon saturated Napa Valley as a sort of renegade/ heritage-driven house of Zinfandel – making a series of wines of distinctly different personalities that resonate with the ultimate expressions of their sites – some being among the oldest vineyards in America.
Unusual for Zinfandel, Biale has established a house style utilizing intensive old world Burgundian methodology from vineyard to barrel to bottle that combines elegance and balance, with Zinfandel's natural vibrance and intensity.
With 20 Zinfandels nearly 20 years later, Biale is recognized internationally by writers and sommeliers as being among California's very finest producers of Zinfandel – the wines being featured on A-restaurant wine lists from coast to coast. Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, Food and Wine, and Decanter have all lauded Biale as one of California's top practitioners of Zinfandel.
In addition to Zinfandel, Biale is recognized for producing blockbuster and ageworthy red wines from another California heritage variety – Petite Sirah, plus small lots of Syrah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Rhone blends, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2017
$40.95 $54.40
Tasting Notes "The Oak Knoll winegrowing region is prevalent in this wine with its dark color, ripe aromatics and juicy acidity. The nose is full of
Biale 'Royal Punishers' Petite Syrah 2016
$38.95 $50.66
53a
California » Napa Valley
Wine Spectator 92 "Brooding and distinctive, with dark blackberry, licorice and Chinese five-spice powder flavors that build speed toward big but polished tannins. Best from 2020
Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2016
Wine Enthusiast 92 "Made mostly from Oak Knoll District fruit, this perennial favorite offers rich tones of mocha, blackberry and cinnamon toast that are balanced by
Biale 'Royal Punishers' Petite Syrah 2015
Wine Advocate 92 "The 2015 Petite Sirah Royal Punishers is inky purple-black in color with a warm plums, blueberries and cherries-scented nose with touches of spice
Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2015
Wine Enthusiast 93 "This perennial favorite lives up to its word-of-mouth goodness, offering fistfuls of blueberry and huckleberry with a juicy length and throughput of acidity.
Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2014
Wine Advocate 94 "Lastly, the 2014 Zinfandel Black Chicken (its name coming from the code name used when ordering a jug of Zinfandel during the Prohibition
Biale 'Royal Punishers' Petite Syrah 2014
Wine Advocate 93 "The 2014 Petite Sirah Royal Punishers hails from Rutherford and has a wonderfully juicy blackberry and cassis nose with white flowers, licorice and
Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2013
" The Black Chicken is named after the secret Prohibition call sign for wine when people would call Aldo Biale on the old "party line".
Biale 'Royal Punishers' Petite Syrah 2013
Wine Spectator 92 "Ripe, plush and juicy notes of cherry, wild raspberry and blackberry are impressive for their density and polish, showing aromatic details of violet,
Biale 'RW Moore Vineyard' Zinfandel 2013
Wine Enthusiast 95 Editor's Choice "From a vineyard east of Napa first planted in 1905, Moore is densely structured and deceptively elegant, all while maintaining an intensity
Biale 'Founding Farmers' Zinfandel 2013
" Minerals, dark and red fruits reminiscent of plums, dried strawberries, cherries, prune, are highlighted upon fine-grained tannins, deep and lasting flavors, fresh acidity, and
Biale 'Like Father Like Son' Red Blend 2012
Wine Spectator 93 "Fragrant, charming and powerful, with dense, chewy tannins at the core and a complex array of flavors. Starts with a baseline of Earl
Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2012
Wine Enthusiast 92 "Spicy in black plum and berry fruit, Black Chicken is a consistent blockbuster for Biale, alive and fresh in waves of exotic cinnamon
Biale 'Founding Farmers' Zinfandel 2012
Wine Enthusiast 91 "Made from a mix of vineyards across the Napa Valley, this pays tribute to the early days of grape growing in the region
Biale 'Moore Vineyard' Zinfandel 2011
" The 2011 Zinfandel R.W. Moore Vineyard is plush, deep and beautifully balanced. The wine opens with a burst of dark fruit that follows through
Biale 'Royal Punishers' Petite Syrah 2011
Robert Parker 93 "The 2011 Petite Sirah Royal Punishers’ inky purple color is followed by a big, sweet nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, gorgeous volume
Robert Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2011
Stephen Tanzer 89 "Good bright medium red. Perfumed aromas of red berries, spices and pungent orange zest. Juicy, spicy and bright if on the
Robert Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2010
Wine Spectator 92 "A couple hundred yards away from Aldo's Vineyard, directly behind Aldo's home, is a different vineyard whose grapes produce a different wine with
Robert Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel 2009
Stephen Tanzer 92 " Bright, dark red. Back cherry, pepper, spices and a whiff of orange peel on the nose. Lush, sweet and glyceral,
Robert Biale 'Grande' Zinfandel 2009
Stephen Tanzer 90 "Bright red-ruby. Crushed blueberry, black plum, pepper and spices on the slightly high-toned nose; a real essence of zinfandel. Silky on
Biale Zinfandel 2009
Robert Parker 94 "The 2009 Zinfandel Old Crane Ranch is a restrained, inward Zinfandel that is still keeping its cards pretty close to the vest. It
Robert Biale 'Aldos Vineyard' Oak Knoll Dist Zinfandel 2008
"Deep, layered, ethereal, and silky, the Aldos is appreciated by Zin afficianados for its gentle "pillowy" texture and dark and exotic black fruit character. In
Robert Biale 'Stagecoach' Zinfandel 2008
Wine Spectator 92 "Dense and rich, offering aromas of huckleberry and loamy white pepper and layered flavors of black cherry and toasty vanilla, with ripe but
Robert Biale 'Napa Ranches' Zinfandel 2008
"Napa Ranches is a top-notch Zinfandel blend sourced from Aldo's and Black Chicken in Napa, Old Crane in St. Helena, Stagnaro in Calistoga, and Priest
Robert Biale 'Royal Punishers' Petite Sirah 2008
Wine Spectator 93 "Dense and thickly tannic, but with plenty of oomph to the juicy, ripe blackberry and boysenberry flavors, offering white pepper, sage and cedar