INTERVIEW WITH BOB BIALE, ROBERT BIALE VINEYARDS
Meet Bob Biale, of Robert Biale Vineyards. This family run winery has become a much celebrated standard of heritage vineyard Zinfandel and Petite Sirah in the Napa Valley. From the winery’s inception, the Biale founders have cherished the tradition of historic old vines - since the 1880s - and prized the small quantity of concentrated and intense fruit that they produce. Diligent farming, expressive terroir and superb elegance are Biale’s hallmarks. Among the winery’s portfolio of 20 wines they produce, Black Chicken Zinfandel is the flagship, and it has become a benchmark for the varietal.
It all kicked off in the 1940s when 14 year-old Aldo Biale helped his mother make ends meet by selling some of the family’s homemade Zinfandel - along with eggs and produce - to insider Napans. 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.
Enjoy my Foodie Chap conversation with the founder and man at the helm at the winery, Robert Biale, son of Aldo.
We were joined briefly by curious “kid reporter for a day,” Clayton Kutch.
Discover how you can become a member of the Black Chicken Society and plan a visit to this South Napa gem. Learn why Zin is King here.
Enjoy!
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