Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel 2012

  • 91 Wine
    Spectator
  • 91 Wilfred
    Wong
2021 Vintage In Stock
54 99
OFFER Take $20 off your order of $100+
Ships today if ordered in next 2 hours
You purchased this 3/27/24
1
Limit Reached
You purchased this 3/27/24
Alert me about new vintages and availability
Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel 2012 Front Label
Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel 2012 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2012

Size
750ML

ABV
15.8%

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Plump, juicy, and firm, this one is irresistible bird- a Zinfandel brimming with fruit, spices, and an Oak Knoll District perfume of concentrated blackerry compote, bright raspberries, clove, five spice, black tea toasted brioche, and notes of caramel and vanilla. Voluptuous, gentle, and yummy as it is, this freshly-bottled wonder has the stuffing for the long haul and is just getting started. The 2012 Black Chicken- if cellared well- will continue to improve for the next 5-8 years and likely well beyond.

Professional Ratings

  • 91
    Rich, dense and jammy, with aromas of cherry pie and spice. The ripe, layered blackberry flavors show accents of smoky caramel, sage and licorice. For fans of big wines. Drink now through 2018. 6,000 cases made.
  • 91
    Ever since I can remember, I have always loved the Robert Biale Zinfandels. The 2012 Black Chicken is pretty fine. A big boy, no less, this one accurately depicts red raspberries that are wild and free-flowing; full bodied and extracted on the palate, this wine plays with fine elegance as it ends up with plenty of fruit in the end. Pair with grilled white meat on a rainy day.

Other Vintages

2021
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2019
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Wilfred
    Wong
2018
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 91 Wilfred
    Wong
2017
  • 91 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 91 Wilfred
    Wong
2016
  • 92 Wine
    Enthusiast
2015
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
2014
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wilfred
    Wong
  • 91 Wine &
    Spirits
2013
  • 91 Tasting
    Panel
Robert Biale Vineyards

Robert Biale Vineyards

View all products
Robert Biale Vineyards, California
Robert Biale Vineyards Robert Biale Vineyards Patio Winery Image

Perfecting the old California classics, Robert Biale Vineyards has become a revered standard of heritage Vineyard Zinfandel and Petite Sirah in Napa Valley. Among the winery’s portfolio of 20 wines that are crafted by winemaker Tres Goetting, Black Chicken Zinfandel is the flagship – and has become a benchmark for the varietal.

Robert Biale’s father, Aldo needed to supplement the ranch income, after the passing of his father. That’s when Aldo learned to make wine from his Uncle Angelo. He sold his jugs of Zin to friends and neighbors on the “down low”, and the phone started ringing regularly for re-orders…The Biale’s phone was a party line, so nosy neighbors could listen in on conversations, including orders for produce, eggs, and a jug of Aldo’s homemade wine from barrels he hid in the barn. Then, as now, any commercial activity involving alcohol was highly regulated by government agencies of various acronyms, and any violation of federal, state, or local regulations was severely penalized. So Aldo needed a way to keep the orders coming over the party line without divulging his clandestine wine operation.

Aldo’s ranch was known for its legions of white leghorn chickens for laying eggs and serving for supper. Perhaps it was not much of a stretch for the 14-year-old Aldo to look to them for the code name for his secret wine. So that there would be no confusion, he changed the color and dubbed a jug of his inky dark Zinfandel Gallina Nera–Black Chicken. Soon phone calls started coming over the party line with customers requesting, for example, “2 dozen eggs, some zucchini, prunes, walnuts and a Gallo Nero.” The punch-down stick and picker’s box that he used in those early decades of production are currently on display at the Food and Wine exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Image for  content section
View all products
Image for Napa Valley Red Wine content section
View all products

Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.

Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.

SPRRBCHZN12C_2012 Item# 135910

Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
Please use a different browser like Edge, Chrome or Firefox to enjoy all that Wine.com has to offer.

It's easy to make the switch.
Enjoy better browsing and increased security.

Yes, Update Now

Search for ""