9 Points Decanter
As Napa Zinfandels go, there is perhaps no more iconic bottling than the Black Chicken. This simply jumps out of the glass with aromas of juicy black plums and smoky frankincense. The cool vintage has imbued it with a sense of levity and freshness as the bright acids lift juicy red and black berries, chicory root spices and a grippy mineral finish.
94 Points Wine Spectator
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.
94 Points Wine Enthusiast
A Napa classic, the this bottling 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 plums, citrus peel, incense, and savory length complete a wine with refreshing verve and well-balanced structure.
94 Points James Suckling
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.
92 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Assembled from several vineyards around Napa with an average vine age of about 40 years, the 2023 Zinfandel Black Chicken features raspberries and cherries up front plus hints of stone fruit and cracked pepper. It's medium- to full-bodied, supple across the mid-palate, then firms up a bit on the bright, refreshing finish.
92 Points Vinous
The 2023 Zinfandel Black Chicken is an absolute delight. Plump, juicy and open-knit, Black Chicken is one the most accessible wines in this range. Succulent red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, pomegranate and a refreshing kick of blood orange all meld together effortlessly.
Winemaker Note:
It all started in the 1940s when 14-year-old Aldo Biale helped his mother make ends meet by selling to insider Napans – along with eggs and produce – some of the family’s homemade Zinfandel. Over the old “party line” phone system, the code words “a Black Chicken” signified a jug of bootleg wine…and kept nosy neighbors and the authorities from finding out about Aldo’s underground Zinfandel operation! Legally produced since 1999, Black Chicken Zinfandel pays homage to the industrious patriarch of the Biale family and the prominence of Zinfandel in the history of the Napa Valley. The heart of Black Chicken is sourced from vineyards in the Oak Knoll District, among them the same family vineyard Aldo, Nonna, Bob and the Biale family have farmed since the 1930’s. Additional sources come from our estate vineyard surrounding the winery, from neighboring growers in the Oak Knoll, as well as from other long-standing winegrowing families in the Napa Valley. Black Chicken stands as the quintessential expression of Zinfandel from the Napa Valley.
