Robert Biale "Royal Punishers" Pettite Sirah and Dalila - Viognier Grillo Blend for Angeli's Italian Dinner
Our whacky govenor is espousing shutting down restaurants again in Northern Illinois so we made a point to dine out at Angelis' Italian, our local Italian trattoria in case we're prohibited from doing so in the near future. I took BYOB from our cellar this hearty Napa Valley Petite Sirah for the occasion. It was ideal with our dinner entrees, especially the Veal Marsala with its hearty brown sauce, and the seasonal butternut squash gnocci.We also ordered from the Angeli's wine list this interesting unique Italian white blend from Sicily. Both wines were sensational with this one an ideal accompaniment to the steamed mussels, Linda's Seared Ahi tuna, and the daily special, Angeli's Jalapena Gnocci.
Stemmari Dalila Sicilia Viognier Grillo DOC Blend 2016
Straw colored, medium-full bodied, nicely balanced acidity and smooth mouthfeel with intense, bright vibrant, nicely integrated tropical fruits with notes of pear and hints of peach, apricot and citrus with tones of vanilla, floral and stone fruits with character and profile of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
RM 91 points.
https://www.stemmari.it/en-us/products/selections/dalilahttps://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3521489
Robert Biale Petite Sirah Royal Punishers 2013
Robert Biale Vineyards in Napa Valley dates back to the 1930s when the Biale family grew Zinfandel grapes and other produce, selling the grapes to local wineries, saving some for their own wine production. During prohibition, to obfuscate their banned trade selling bottles of illicit homemade Zinfandel, they would refer to their dark fruit filled wines as "Black Chickens" over his party line phone service.
Biale Winery was formally founded in 1991 when Aldo Biale and his son Robert formed a partnership with winemaker Al Perry and wine salesman Dave Pramuk. Their initial product was Zinfandel, eventually adding Petite Sirah grown on their 25 acres in Napa Valley.
Despite its popularity, the Petite Sirah grape is somewhat rare with less than 10,000 acres
planted worldwide, with the bulk of that in California. In France, the
grape is referred to as Durif. Not to be confused with Syrah, Petite
Sirah is a cross of Syrah and Peloursin. The result is darker and
fuller.
In Napa Valley, the market has turned to Cabernet
Sauvignon and other French varieties leaving Zinfandel as a rare
varietal comprising less that 3% of the valley's grape production.
The inaugural wine
production was a quantity of 400 cases produced from 8 acres of old non-irrigated
low-yielding vines called "Aldo's Vineyard." Today, Bob Biale, Dave Pramuk, and winemaker Steve Hall specialize in a broad portfolio of twenty Zinfandel labels each representing the terroir driven personalities of their property with some of the oldest vineyards in
America.
Biale Zinfandel is produced in a distinctive style utilizing intensive old world Burgundian methodology from vineyard
to barrel to bottle and are recognized as one of the top Zinfandel producers in America.
This bottle exceeded my expectations for a big fruit forward sipper. It got 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 92 points from Wine Spectator noting it as "Highly Recommended".
Robert Parker calls it "stunning, almost off-the-charts richness, and a killer finish of nearly a minute."
It was aged in 30% new French oak for 17 months prior to bottling
Dark inky black/purple color, full bodied, rich concentrated, dense juicy ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruits, floral and spices with hints of tea turning to a long chewy polished tannin finish.
RM 93 points.
