Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah with BBQ Ribs

 Biale ‘Royal Punishers’ Petit Syrah with Baby Back Ribs

Linda brought home from Costco a rack of baby back ribs, normally one of my favorite eats when paired with appropriate BBQ complementary wine. Tonight’s ribs were disappointing, being very grisly and fatty, barely acceptable for the first meal, and not so for any follow on leftovers. 

Never-the-less, I had pulled from the cellar a BBQ friendly wine for the occasion, in anticipation of and hoping for a better outcome.

Biale Royal Punishers 2016 Petit Syrah

This is 100% Petit Sirah from Biale Vineyards, a family owned producer that has been farming most notably Zinfandel in Napa since 1937.

Robert Biale Vineyards in Napa Valley date 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 the party line phone service.

The current instantiation of 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. And, Petit Sirah an even smaller fraction of that. 

The inaugural wine production of Biale Petit Sirah 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. 

Being darker and fuller than even ZInfandel, a traditional fabulous varietal wine for BBQ, one can see why I consider a go-to wine for hearty robust zesty BBQ.

This bottle is the last of a selection I obtained several years ago of this label. The previous bottle consumed from that lot was in late 2020 when I wrote about the producer and wine in more detail in the blogpost excerpt that follows.

Originally posted Thursday, November 19, 2020

Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016

Robert Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016

This thread of a mini vertical tasting continues. It started a couple weeks ago when we opened from our cellar the 2013 vintage of this unique varietal, Napa Valley Petite Sirah, from a traditional producer of Napa Valley Zinfandels, Robert Biale.

That 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").

As I wrote earlier, we enjoyed that bottle so much with its rich, concentrated full bodied flavorful fruit, a style we love, I sought to replace it. Naturally, the 2013 release was no longer available but I was able to acquire several bottles of the newer 2016 vintage at Binny's Beverage Depot, the Chicagoland wine superstore. For reference, Binny's sells this label for $42. The producer's 'published' release price is $49.

Following that tasting and a subsequent tasting of the 2018 release, we dined out at Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria and I took BYOB the 2016 release to share and compare with the recent tastings of the '13 and '18 vintages. 

For our dinner, we took BYOB from our cellar this recent wine purchase that we picked up to try as we consider buying more. Several weeks ago we drank from our cellar the 2013 vintage release of this label. When I went to replace it, the 2018 release was available. I then found several bottles of this 2016. They had a few remaining so I brought this to taste, and to compare with the other two recent vintages tasted. 

I wrote back at that time about Robert Biale Vineyards in Napa Valley and their work with Zinfandel and Petite Sirah sourced from their 25 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley where it is perfectly suited to the moderate and dry growing season. The resulting dark, full, deep, inky and powerful, Petite Sirah has become a favorite grape among winemakers looking to pump up underpowered wines in need of deep fruit, color, and structure. As a standalone varietal, this was almost too much for our moderate pastas, veal, salmon and ahi tuna dinner entrees, delightful none-the-less.

Robert Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016

The Robert Biale Royal Punishers Petite Sirah is sourced from Carpy-Connolly Ranch in Rutherford. There the well-drained gravel and sandy loam soils, and warm daytime temperatures are ideally suited for ripening Petite Sirah grapes.

This 2016 was more like the big bold 2013 vintage than the 2018 we tasted the other evening. 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by critic/pundit Jeb Dunnuck.

Winemaker’s Notes for this release - “The 2016 Royal Punishers has a healthy deep, dark blue/black color profile. Aromas of plum, quince, violets, figs, molasses, graphite and marbled rye awaken the nose. The entry is viscous and weighty, then builds into a broad mid palate structure which has layers of ripe, black fruit flavors. The oak profile is balanced and the tannins are mouthwatering and medium grained which hol the fruit profile and carry a long, lingering finish.” 

This 2016 Petite Sirah Royal Punishers spent 17 months in 30% new barrels.

This is dark inky purple colored, full bodied, big, bold, concentrated with moderate firm structure, the black berry and black raspberry fruits are overtaken by notes of camphor or what Wine Enthusiast noted as 'a touch of heat', on opening that ‘burn off’ after a period of breathing and settling. Accented by notes of graphite and spice, hints of pepper emerged on the firm but approachable tannin laced lingering finish.

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2912156

https://biale.com/

https://twitter.com/BialeVineyards

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2912156

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/robert-biale-royal-punishers-and-dalila.html

Earlier postings of various vintages of this label - 

Robert Biale 'Royal Punisher' Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2018 - November 15, 2020
	Robert Biale 'Royal Punisher' Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016 - November 19, 2020
	Robert Biale 'Royal Punisher' Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2013 - October 22, 2020

Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016

Robert Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016

This thread of a mini vertical tasting continues. It started a couple weeks ago when we opened from our cellar the 2013 vintage of this unique varietal, Napa Valley Petite Sirah, from a traditional producer of Napa Valley Zinfandels, Robert Biale.

That 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").

As I wrote earlier, we enjoyed that bottle so much with its rich, concentrated full bodied flavorful fruit, a style we love, I sought to replace it. Naturally, the 2013 release was no longer available but I was able to acquire several bottles of the newer 2016 vintage at Binny's Beverage Depot, the Chicagoland wine superstore. For reference, Binny's sells this label for $42. The producer's 'published' release price is $49.

Following that tasting and a subsequent tasting of the 2018 release, we dined out at Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria and I took BYOB the 2016 release to share and compare with the recent tastings of the '13 and '18 vintages. 

The dinner was for a special occasion, for our dear long-time friends Mark and Jane who sold their home and are moving from Illinois to Texas. For their last night here we took them to dinner at Angelis. So many of our close friends have left Chicagoland for warmer weather and improved living environments in red states - Florida, South and North Carolina, Tennessee and now, Texas. It’s sad and tragic to see the decline of our home state as it succumbs to the burdens of decades of fiscal mismanagement, corruption, patronage and our politicians' selfishness and foolishness. No wonder the common saying is, 'the best view of Illinois is in the rear view mirror' as people exit the state in droves, the largest net loss of any state. 

It’s heartbreaking and depressing to watch our excessive tax dollars fund debt service rather than regular traditional government and social services. So many have become beholden to the entitlement economy, it’s become almost pervasive, despite the fact it is unsustainable. 

Ironically, today’s Chicago Tribune headliner was the Indictments of the chief aide to our long time Illinois Speaker of the House leader, a former COMED CEO, and a couple other luminaries for bribery and corruption. The legendary long time party chairmen fell through the cracks again and remains elusive, however, his grip on the reigns of power is slipping away. But after decades of abuse, the damage is done. 

Forgive me, so much for political hand wringing and commiserating, we wish our departing friends well in their new home state.

For our dinner, we took BYOB from our cellar this recent wine purchase that we picked up to try as we consider buying more. Several weeks ago we drank from our cellar the 2013 vintage release of this label. When I went to replace it, the 2018 release was available. I then found several bottles of this 2016. They had a few remaining so I brought this to taste, and to compare with the other two recent vintages tasted.

I wrote last week about Robert Biale Vineyards in Napa Valley and their work with Zinfandel and Petite Sirah sourced from their 25 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley where it is perfectly suited to the moderate and dry growing season. The resulting dark, full, deep, inky and powerful, Petite Sirah has become a favorite grape among winemakers looking to pump up underpowered wines in need of deep fruit, color, and structure. As a standalone varietal, this was almost too much for our moderate pastas, veal, salmon and ahi tuna dinner entrees, delightful none-the-less.

Robert Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2016

The Robert Biale Royal Punishers Petite Sirah is sourced from Carpy-Connolly Ranch in Rutherford. There the well-drained gravel and sandy loam soils, and warm daytime temperatures are ideally suited for ripening Petite Sirah grapes.

This 2016 was more like the big bold 2013 vintage than the 2018 we tasted the other evening. 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by critic/pundit Jeb Dunnuck.

This 2016 Petite Sirah Royal Punishers spent 17 months in 30% new barrels.

This is dark inky purple colored, full bodied, big, bold, concentrated with moderate firm structure, the black berry and black raspberry fruits are overtaken by notes of camphor or what Wine Enthusiast noted as 'a touch of heat', on opening that ‘burn off’ after a period of breathing and settling. Accented by notes of graphite and spice, hints of pepper emerged on the firm but approachable tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2912156

https://biale.com/

https://twitter.com/BialeVineyards

 

Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2018

Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2018

 A couple weeks ago we opened this unique varietal Napa Valley Petite Sirah from a traditional producer of Napa Valley Zinfandels, Robert Biale.

That 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").

We enjoyed that bottle so much with its rich, concentrated full bodied flavorful fruit, a style we love, I sought to replace it. Naturally, the 2013 release was no longer available but I was able to acquire several bottles of the 2016 vintage, and a few of the 2018. 

Binny's Beverage Depot, the Chicagoland wine superstore indicated on-line that it had a several bottles of the 2016, but not at a convenient location. I called a couple local independent merchants about obtaining a few bottles and ended up placing a special order. When they arrived they turned out to be the 2018 vintage. Several days later I was at a Binny's location that had the 2016 in stock and I obtained a few more.

As I wrote at the time, 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 the 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 the two grape varietals Syrah and Peloursin.  Robert Biale’s Royal Punishers got its name from scrambling the letters of both parent grapes. The resulting wine is darker and fuller, deep, inky and powerful, appropriately named, it deserves its reputation as one of Napa Valley’s top Petite Sirahs.

According to Biale, Petite Sirah was the most commonly planted grape in Napa Valley for nearly a century and now there is a resurgence and new appreciation for this historic varietal. Known for its dark color, firm structure, and deep blue and black fruit flavors, it is perfectly suited to Napa Valley’s moderate and dry growing season. Petite Sirah was also a favorite grape among winemakers looking to pump up underpowered wines in need of deep fruit, color, and structure. Its natural versatility made it a great counterpart to all red varieties including Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Biale Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petit Sirah 2018

With the kids in from out of state for the weekend, we opened this Big Red for late night adventurous sipping.  

Robert Biale sources this Royal Punishers Petite Sirah from Carpy-Connolly Ranch in Rutherford. There the well-drained gravel and sandy loam soils, and warm daytime temperatures are ideally suited for ripening Petite Sirah grapes.

Winemaker's notes for this release, "The 2018 Royal Punishers has a deep, blackish purple color with aromas of currants, blueberry, quince, violets, figs, molasses and graphite. The entry is weighty with a broad mid-palate structure which has layers of ripe, black fruit flavors. The oak profile is balanced and the tannins are medium grained which hold the fruit profile and carry a long, lingering finish."

While not as big and powerful as the 2013, this was bold and concentrated with rich extracted inky purple colored fruit, black raspberry, black currants, black tea and tobacco notes with a moderate tannin laced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3726704

https://biale.com/

 https://twitter.com/BialeVineyards

 

Robert Biale Royal Punishers and Dalila Sicilia White Blend

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

This wine finds its way to the Angeli's winelist as a result of owner Tony Angeli having visited the winery estate during his visit to the region a couple years ago. 

 

This wine is from the Stemmari winery located in the town of Acate in the Ragusa province of Sicily located in south eastern Sicily. The winery has 1,700 acres in two estates along the south coast of Sicily, one in Sambuca di Sicilia in the Agrigento province and the other in Acate in the province of Ragusa.

 

The vast Stemmari brand has a broad portfolio of wines include single varietals like nero d’avola, chardonnay, pinot grigio, moscato, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and even a sparkling grillo. They offer a few blends including this Dalila wine.

This unique blend is comprised of the Sicilian varietal Grillo and the international Viognier, native to the French Rhone River valley. The local indigenous wine grape "grillo" – which means "cricket" in Italian. This Sicilian white wine is composed of 80 percent grillo and 20 percent viognier.  

 

The interesting branding of music as a metaphor for the harmonizing of the two elegant varietals in the Dalila blend with musical notes on the label and on the bottle foil.

This was sensational and a very pleasant surprise discovery. Its available at a price point that provides great QPR - Quality Price Ratio. 

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/dalila

https://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.

In addition to Zinfandel, Biale also is recognized for producing blockbuster and ageworthy red wines from other California varietals – Petite Sirah, plus small lots of Syrah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Rhone blends, and Sauvignon Blanc.

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. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=2079685

Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel 2012

Robert Biale 'Black Chicken' Napa Valley Zinfandel 2012

I pulled this Robert Biale 'Black Chicken' Zinfandel from the cellar to serve with our barbecue beef and ribs dinner week before last and never opened it. It was still in the wine cooler adjacent the kitchen, where we 'stage' wines before drinking, so I pulled it for Sunday evening dinner of meatballs, some artisan cheeses and fruits.

Since 1937, the Biale family has grown Zinfandel along with assorted other varieties on their farm just outside the town of Napa. Today, Robert Biale produces an extensive portfolio of Napa Valley Zinfandel wines. This is his 'signature' wine that dates back to the days of prohibition when Black Chicken was the proxy code name for bottles of red wine.

It goes back to the days when as a 14 year-old, Aldo Biale helped his farmer, grower and wine producer mother to make ends meet by selling to insider Napans, chickens, eggs, prunes, walnuts and vegetables, and some of the family’s homemade Zinfandel. 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!

The Robert Biale estate lies within the Oak Knoll District in southern Napa Valley just above the town of Napa and has several vineyards from which they source several single vineyard designated labels in addition to this, their flagship label. Black Chicken is primarily sourced from Biale's Oak Knoll District ranch estate.

Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel 2012

This label was awarded  92 points by Wine Enthusiast,  91 points by James Suckling and Wine Spectator. 

I found it a bit 'flabby', not living up to its high accolades, perhaps because I held it too long, opening it after seven years from release. Dark ruby colored, medium full bodied, rich dense, James Suckling called it a 'funky old vine character ... with mushroom and bark undertones', sweet jammy black berry, spice, sage, anise and what WS calls 'smokey caramel' on a peppery finish. 

RM 88 points. 

Several other Cellartracker members had similar experiences with this label. One wrote, "I suspect that I held this too long. Not jammy (good) and not noticeably hot. Decent nose. Very (too) smooth. Various red and black fruits, but minimal berry/bramble notes. Pleasant medium body and a good finish. Unfortunately, the absence of tannins made it less-than-suitable with food (BBQ in this instance). Other recent notes don't mention this, so maybe it was an off bottle."

Another one wrote, "Nice enough and well balanced. However, everything is somewhat muted, and tannins are conspicuously MIA. Definitely well past its peak."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1780801

https://biale.com/

Father's Day Special Dinner features favorite BBQ Ribs, Syrah and Zin

Father's Day Special Dinner features favorite BBQ Ribs, Lewis Ethan's Syrah and Robert Biale Black Chicken Zin

For Father's Day family dinner, Linda prepared one of my favorite summer dishes, BBQ ribs, with corn on the cob, baked beans, mashed potatos and green beans. I pulled from the cellar a family oriented Lewis Cellars Ethans Syrah, named for producers' grandson.

I've written much in these pages about the fun we have with Lewis Cellars wines and their named labels for grandkids and signature 'L' label. Also, to accompany the ribs, I opened a classic Robert Biale 'Black Chicken' Napa Valley Zinfandel.

Prior to dinner we had a broad selection of artisan cheeses including some favorites - ten year old aged cheddar, havarti, bellavitano merlot, Gruyere, and cheddar, with fresh berries and peaches fruits.

For the cheese course we opened a Chateau St Michelle Rose'.

Chateau St Michelle Washington State Rose 2018

Robert Biale Vineyards Napa Valley Black Chicken Zinfandel 2011

I consider Zinfandel as a go-to wine for zesty tangy BBQ and always keep some on hand for summer barbecues. Robert Biale specialize in Zinfandel with over a dozen different labels. The Biale Family have been growing Zinfandel along with assorted other varieties on their farm just outside the town of Napa since 1937.

This historic whimsical label "Black Chicken" gets its name from founder Aldo Biale, who used the name as a code word when he started making the wine on the sly in the '40s and didn't want other members of his family to know. He obfuscated the activities by referring to his wine as 'Black Chickens' or poultry as an alias and front for the business.

Biale produce several premium and ultra-premium Zins that are famous for a certain breed of intensity and power they obtain by restricting yields to only the best, most concentrated, fully ripe fruit each vintage.

Black Chicken is primarily sourced from Biale's Oak Knoll District ranch estate from the family vineyard that Aldo, Nonna, Bob Biale and the Biale family have farmed their whole lives, with additional grapes from our neighboring winery vineyard in the Oak Knoll winegrowing district. It is aged for fourteen months in 25% new French oak.

We have a half dozen vintages of Biale labels in our cellar and I pulled the oldest for today's dinner as part of rudimentary cellar management as it is most likely ready to drink and certainly not to improve with further aging, and at risk of passing its apex or prime drinking window.

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, ripe cherry fruits with brambly blackberry and black raspberry notes accented by cinnamon and brown spices, hints of pepper vanilla and bacon fat with a moderate tannin, tangy finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1575870

https://biale.com/


Lewis Cellars Ethan's Syrah 2009

Named for Randy and Debbie Lewis' grandson Ethan, we salute the family affiliation and attribution on Father's Day. We also have fun with the 'L' on the label - we dedicate as a tribute to family members, Linda, grand-daughter and her namesake great-grandmother Lucy, and Erin Leigh.

We often serve Lewis Cellars Alec's Blend, named for the producers' oldest grandson, and a fitting tribute to our son.

 Our visit to the Lewis Cellars Estate was one of the highlights of our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2016.

This Napa Valley Syrah is big, bold, concentrated and complex in the style that we love.

Dark inky purple color, full bodied, concentrated supple tongue coating fruit filled ripe blackberry and black raspberry, ripe plum with tones of vanilla, spice, tar and sweet oak with hints of licorice before yielding to a layer of mineral on the lingering smooth tannin finish.

At ten years, this is starting to show its age a bit with a slight bit of an edge and alcohol heat, hence deducting a point from my previous score. I attribute this to age although it could be a bottle variation but I doubt it.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=1190459

https://www.lewiscellars.com/

David Arthur 1147 Biale Zin Beaucastel Highlight Rib Dinner

David Arthur 'Elevation 1147', Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel, Chateau Beaucastel CDP Highlight Rib Dinner

Another summer barbecue rib dinner offers chance to sample a flight of big reds. Bill and Beth C hosted the dinner and featured Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel and David Arthur 1147 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I brought a Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996.

Mike Rijken pouring
at Château Beaucastel

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996

I first tasted this vintage of this wine in a cellar tasting at the Chateau (shown left) during my visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1998. The picturesque Domains Perrin Beaucastel estate and vineyards was one of the highlights of that trip. There is more on Beaucastel and that visit on an earlier blogpost.

I still hold a half case of this wine and it appears to be time to drink up as it seems to be at the apex of its tasting/aging curve. It will be interesting to do a horizontal tasting of the other wines that I still hold that were featured and collected from that trip, notably, Chateau La Nerthe and Vieux Telegraph.

My tasting notes and score are consistent with earlier tasting which was posted in 2010. The color is opaque dark ruby, the nose is subdued, this is medium bodied and shows layers of rather austere black berry and black cherry fruits accented by subtle black pepper giving way to slightly earthy leathery red fruit on a meaty acidic tannin finish.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5098

http://www.beaucastel.com/en/





Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel 2011

This is another big Napa Zinfandel from Robert Biale vineyards that was featured in a recent earlier blogpost highlighting a rib dinner at Bill and Beth's at the beginning of the summer.

Not quite as big or polished as the 2011 Party Line Zinfandel we had a few weeks ago, this was still a big, forward black fruit filled Zinfandel with brambly, zesty black pepper tones and a spicy leathery finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1575870




David Arthur Elevation 1147 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

This is the flagship wine of David Arthur, named for the elevation of the vineyards up on the eastern slope overlooking the Napa Valley floor (shown left) from up on Pritchard Hill.

Our visit to the David Arthur winery was a highlight of our Napa Wine Experience 2013 featured in an earlier blogpost in April of this year.

With dark inky purple color and full body, this opened with big, concentrated, complex, rich, chewy, tongue coating forward ripe black berry and black raspberry fruits. Then something happened and it shut down and closed up somewhat about an hour and some after opening and decanting. It still had a layer of sugary sweetness with tones of mocha and black licorice and a whisper of black pepper on a silky smooth tannin finish.

I'd like to see how this reveals itself a day later but we finished  it last night! While this should be considered a perfect complement to a hearty grilled steak - it stood up and was well suited to the barbecue ribs.

This started out as a blockbuster 95 pointer before it retreated as noted above, yet still warrants a most respectable 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=14142

http://www.davidarthur.com/

Big Zinfandels and Shiraz with BBQ kick off summer

Big Zinfandels and Shiraz and barbecue kick off summer

For a Memorial Day summer kick off barbecue Bill and Beth prepared rubbed apple smoked and wet BBQ ribs. And what goes with barbecue? Zinfandel, of course, as well as big hearty Shiraz/Syrah, which oft-times manifests itself in southern Rhones blends from Chateauneuf-du-Pape or lesser appellations (which will  provide great QPR - quality price ratio), Gigondas, or Vayqueras. Of course the Aussie's have their's with 'Barbie'. So, to accompany this hearty barbecue we hoisted big zesty Napa Valley Zinfandels and a pair of big bold Barossa Valley Shiraz's.

Robert Craig Howell Mountain Zinfandel 2006

From Robert Craig, the legendary producer known for his family of Cabernets from 'three mountains and a valley' comes this big Zinfandel.  This full throttled Zinfandel fruit is sourced from the Black Sears Ranch Vineyard at the end of the road high atop Howell Mountain. We tasted and obtained this big bruiser Zin during a winery visit up on Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2008, (shown below left).

 
I first discovered Howell Mountain Zinfandel fruit with the Howell Mountain Black Sears Vineyard Zinfandel 1999.  This was was served at a gala state dinner back in 2008 that I had the privilege to attend at the Taiwanese Twin Oaks Estates mansion and Consulate in WDC, just down the hill behind the Washington Cathedral - formerly the estate home of Alexander Graham Bell's descendents. Not until our Robert Craig visit did I learn that the fruit for this wine was sourced from a vineyard near Robert Craig's Howell Mountain property. We conducted a comparison tasting of these two wines back in 2009 (shown top left). 

This time this wine presented itself as heavy, full bodied, concentrated and focused black pepper predominates overpowering the black fruits. Could this be the same Zin we tasted earlier where the black pepper was just a modifier? The black pepper was amazingly intense and forward only begrudgingly giving way to tones of blackberry fruits and bramble. Thick full bodied, almost chewy. Dark garnet color with a brownish tone. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=606636

http://www.robertcraigwine.com/
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Robert Biale 'Party Line' California Zinfandel 2010

Robert Biale Vineyards is a historic legendary Napa Valley producer dating back back to when Aldo Biale immigrated from Northern Italy settled and began growing grapes in the 1930’s. He planted Zinfandel which was widely planted by immigrants throughout the state’s history as a highly flavorful red grape well-suited for its expansive range of arid climates and diverse soils. His inaugural production of 400 cases was produced from 8 acres of old non-irrigated low-yielding vines called “Aldo’s Vineyard.” 

In 1991, Aldo Biale and son Robert partnered with marketer Dave Pramuk to focus on producing world-class wine from the oldest Zinfandel vines on the Biale ranch in Napa’s Oak Knoll District.  

Today, under the direction of Bob Biale, Dave Pramuk, and winemaker Steve Hall, Biale specializes in twenty different Zinfandels including single vineyard designated Zinfandels sourced from thirteen different vineyards spread across Napa Valley, each expressing the terrior, sense of place of that location's unique terrain, soil, micro-climate and exposure. 

While Zinfandel is ideally suited to the area, it comprises only 2% of Napa Valley’s grapes. Biale consider their Zinfandel to be an ideal expression of California and the sites where it is grown. They contend that Zinfandel shows distinct differences in character from site to site like no other grape variety and the fact that the old vines themselves are deeply rooted in original vineyards make them among the greatest expressions of terroir in the world. Their intensive hand-farming, extreme thinning and careful selection of only the fully ripe “black” clusters make for very small yields per vine and give their Zinfandels their distinct personalities and rich, hedonistic style.

In the 1940’s Aldo Biale sold bottles of illicit homemade Zinfandel known as “Black Chickens” over his party line phone service. This wine commemorates and is named for Aldo Biale's taking orders on the local party line, this Biale 'Party Line' Zin is a blend selected from the family's Zin vineyards across Napa.

This Zinfandel was dark ruby colored, full bodied, with complexity of big forward concentrated briary black fruits nicely integrated into a symphony of well orchestrated flavors. 


RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1310741

http://www.robertbialevineyards.com/

Outpost Howell Mountain Zinfandel 2009

A neighbor of Robert Craig high atop Howell Mountain, just across the road from  Lamborn Vineyards, one passes Outpost on the way to the end of road to the Craig estate. We visited these producers during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2008. All are known for their Cabernets but they all also produce Howell Mountain Zinfandels. It just occurred to me I could've also brought a Lamborn Howell Mountain Zinfandel for a true neighborhood tasting for this event.

Compared to the big concentrated Robert Craig Zinfandel, the Outpost actually came across as smooth, polished and medium-full  bodied. It certainly was more approachable than the full-throttle powerful Craig, which was the favorite of Linda. The Outpost was dark ruby colored, medium-full bodied, nicely balanced, smooth and polished with brambly black fruits, a layer of white pepper and hints of vanilla on the finish.

RM 91 points.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1084352

http://www.outpostwines.com/

Chateau Tanunda 'The Chateau' 100 Year Old Vines Shiraz 2008

This classic Shiraz was the discovery of the Wine Spectator Grand Tour Chicago 2010 where we met the producer, orchestrated procurement and cornered the Midwest market obtaining all nine cases allocated and shipped here. These were divided amongst our OTBN team Bill, Dan, Eric and Ernie and me.  

Bill C's notes tasting notes from the dinner: 'Still big, round and delicious. Deep inky purple in the glass. Fruit forward, layered with soft, integrated tannins. Maybe the best Shiraz I have had. This is softening somewhat and I will not hold remaining bottles for more than another 3 years. Drinking exceptionally well.'

WCC 96 points.  


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=937673

http://www.chateautanunda.com/ 



 Branson Coach House Greenock Block Single Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2002

Another full throttle shiraz from Barossa Valley, this 2002 is still big bold and fruit filled at thirteen years of age. I love this style of tongue coating rich concentrated complex fruit accented with a bit of vanilla and spice. We drank ours  a few years ago but this was still vibrant.

Bill's notes on this wine as posted on Cellartracker:

"Medium garnet in color. Fruit has faded somewhat but has been replaced with some layers of minerality, coffee and cola. Still a bit of blackberry on the finish. Should drink now." 

WCC 88 points. 
RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=95066