2004 Robert Biale Zinfandel Black Chicken
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Tasting notes
(16.5% alcohol) Ruby-red. Superripe aromas of raspberry liqueur, smoked meat, spices, espresso and flowers; slightly roasted suggestion of late-picked fruit. Rich, chewy and high-toned, with a sappy quality and plenty of acidity to the intense raspberry liqueur flavor. Obviously high in alcohol, but creamy, concentrated and quite long. Strong tannins are buffered by sheer sweetness of fruit. Fans of big, bold zinfandels will not feel cheated by this one.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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The 2004 Zinfandel Black Chicken (the Prohibition era’s code word for bootleg wine) tips the scales at 16.5% alcohol. This chicken can party ... as evidenced by the wine’s blockbuster perfume of briery fruit, spice box, pepper, sweet currants and cherries, and licorice. Spicy, with fabulous fruit, a full-bodied opulence, loads of glycerin, and a heady finish, it can be drunk now and over the next 5-7 years. Tel. (707) 257-7555