2020 Biale Vineyards ‘Black Chicken’ Napa Valley Zinfandel

This wine is round and plush with perfectly ripe tannins and bright aromas of red and dark fruit – raspberries, cherries, and blackberries – star anise, black and white pepper, cocoa, and subtle, nuanced oak.
At harvest, the fruit is hand-picked and sorted to ensure that only the best fruit makes it into the fermenter. The grapes are crushed, and gravity fed into the open-top tanks. The must is cold soaked for 2 to 4 days at 50°F and then inoculated with commercial yeast strains. For color and tannin extraction, we perform 2 to 3 punch downs per day. Fermentation is typically completed after 14 to 16 days at a maximum temperature of 86°F. At dryness, we lightly press and store the wine into 100% Burgundy oak barrels (20% new), where malolactic fermentation is completed. The wine is aged for up to 14 months.