WTN: 2007 Robert Biale Vineyard Black Chicken Zinfandel

Napa Valley. 15.8% abv. Garnet-purple color, opaque and showing viscosity. Cassis on the nose. Richly fruited on the palate--black fruits and a long finish that shows a bit hot. Soft tannins hinting at cedar or sandalwood. Mouth-filling juice that conveyed an old-vine character to me but when I queried the winemaker, he said the vineyards were planted in the 1980's to 2000's so not really old-vine by Zinfandel standards. With some forceful, high-alcohol Zinfandels (such as Four Vines the Maverick) one glass suffices and any more becomes tiresome. Not so with the Biale Black Chicken--the second glass is welcome at the table. In some ways this reminds me of Ridge Lytton Springs or Geyserville, not in aroma, but in expressiveness. I'm grateful that I was introduced to Biale Black Chicken some years ago at an offline in the DC area and registered for the mailing list. Considering the high alcohol percentage, the ripe fruit neutralizes the heat pretty well. Overall, one of the better wines I've opened in the last month.

[Jenise]

I'm also a fan of Biale zins. They have the acid and structure to keep that fruit from clobbering your palate, and they age beautifully. We rarely have them, though, since they're so expensive.

I'll be opening a couple 2005 Black Chickens at a wine tasting this Saturday and also have some 2006 Monte Rosso and Stagecoach Vineyard Zins to put in the lineup. I haven't purchased from Biale in the last couple years because they were starting to stack up on me. I don't drink Zins that often.