Robert Biale Vineyards Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel 2023 750ml

Jammy and generous, with bold aromatics, this red is a pleasure to drink, offering polished cherry and blackberry tart flavors accented by briar patch and licorice as this zips along the lively finish. Drink now through 2034. 6,000 cases made.

A classic Napa Valley Zinfandel, this bottling offers savory and earthy aromatics that carry into flavors of dark plum, tobacco and dark chocolate. It's rich in flavor, well balanced by mouthwatering acidity that refreshes the palate with every sip. Impressively persistent.

Jammy and generous, with bold aromatics, this red is a pleasure to drink, offering polished cherry and blackberry tart flavors accented by briar patch and licorice as this zips along the lively finish. Drink now through 2034.

A big but cool and well-balanced wine that is full-bodied but fresh. Made from vines averaging 40 years old and from mostly cool parts of Napa Valley, including the Biale family's vineyard planted in 1937. Moderate tannins lift the vivid raspberry, blackberry, black pepper and umami flavors. Drink or hold.

A Napa classic, the Black Chicken Zinfandel relies on vineyards in cooler parts of the region, here harvested from a cooler vintage as well. The combination delivers complexity, detail and plenty of flavor: juicy mixed berries and plum, citrus peel, incense and savory length complete with refreshing verve and well balanced structure.

Dark plums, crushed dark berries, cocoa beans, dried orange and moist bark. Medium-bodied, spiced and racy with sleek tannins and vivid acidity. Flavorful and silky. Drink now. (James Suckling)

Sourced primarily from Oak Knoll, the 2021 Zinfandel Black Chicken delivers briar-laced bramble-berry fruit, plus a decent dose of vanilla (maturation was in 25% new French oak). Full-bodied, it’s creamy, ripe and lush, with a slightly herbal tang on the lingering finish. It’s a balanced, seductive Zin, not over the top while still expressing intense varietal character. (Joe Czerwinski)

Robust yet retaining a sense of refinement, this red offers blackberry, briar patch and white pepper flavors that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2034. 7,400 cases made. (Tim Fish)

A briar patch in a glass, this zesty red shows spirited blackberry, grilled anise and green peppercorn flavors as it builds richness toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2032. 7,185 cases made. (Tim Fish)

The 2022 Zinfandel Black Chicken is one of the most potent wines in this range. Black cherry, plum, leather, tobacco, incense, and licorice give this extroverted, generous Zinfandel tons of character. There is no shortage of intensity here.

Blended from a number of vineyards, including some barrels from single vineyards that get "declassified" into this bottling, the 2022 Zinfandel Black Chicken comes from vines with an average age of 40 years. Raspberries and blackberries mark the nose, accompanied by hints of cracked pepper and ground clove, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, framed by silky tannins and finishing long and softly dusty.