CAUTION: Content is now 100% “legal” but habit forming!

The Prohibition Story about Black Chicken: Going back to the early 1900’s … Hey Aldo, when you come by on Friday, bring me a couple pounds of walnuts, some fruit and vegetables, two dozen eggs and a “Black Chicken”. And thus went one of the hundreds of inquiries during prohibition when selling wine was not legal. Aldo Biale called his jugs of Zin a “Black Chicken” to avoid any unwanted attention from regulators. Today Black Chicken is 100% Legal, so you can get a sample of this legendary creation by name.  Aldo died in 2009, but in his memory the Black Chicken lives on!  If you visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History you can even see an image of Aldo with his old punch down stick and a picker’s box!

FYI: May 13th is the actual 21st ‘legal’ birthday of the Black Chicken Zinfandel. The first official release was the 1999 vintage, although Bob Biale’s father Aldo began bottling it originally in 1943! 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

Biale 2019 Zinfandel “Black Chicken” Napa Valley
GGWC 51.99
FREE SHIPPING on 12
Use code BIALE during checkout

Sourced primarily from Biale’s estate vineyards in the Oak Knoll district, this wine is round and plush with a gentle grip of perfectly ripe tannins. A spectrum of red and dark fruits– raspberries, cherries, blackberries, bright vivid aromas, fine-grained texture, star anise,  black and white pepper, cocoa, subtle nuanced oak. Age worthy, compelling, decadent: a beautifully proportioned Napa Valley Zinfandel.

Winery Notes: “A long, warm summer and mild finish to the season. The beginning of the 2019 growing season was defined by copious rainfall and late soil moisture. The season saw very few extreme heat events, with foggy mornings setting the stage for vibrant and expressive wines. The relatively mild finish to the season, not without its moments of unpredictability, helped to preserve freshness and finesse in the fruit with abundant hang time teasing out great color, structure and soft tannins. Volume is looking to be about average to a little less than average. All in all, exceptional fruit with bright acidity and ample texture promises an amazing vintage.”

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Call 415-337-4083 or email frank@goldengatewinecellars.com for availability and priority allocation!