Robert Biale Vineyards

We had a private tasting here at Biale and because we were making ‘merry’ prior, we had to push our reservation back a half hour. They were more than accommodating and allowed us to have our tasting late. We were in a private house on the property for the tasting. Biale has been a mainstay in Napa for may years, best known for their Zinfandel, in particular the «Black Chicken». They also make some Petite Sirah and a couple of red blends.
The tasting we had was fantastic. Our tasting hostess was so engaging. She had a great love of the wines and it showed when she talked about them. She gave a very detailed, yet entertaining detailed history of the estate. It was a great experience. We tasted approximately 6 wines while doing our private tasting. When our tasting was complete, we took a quick little tour of the property and headed to the main tasting room. There, we ‘talked our way’ into getting a few more pours of wine. The staff here was absolutely fantastic, so willing to talk to you about wine and the estate.
For me, they are making fantastic Zinfandel at reasonable (by Napa/​Sonoma standards) prices. The overall experience here was just fantastic. If you enjoy Zinfandel and a piece of history, I would highly recommend making a tasting appointment here.

We love Zin and this was a great unanticipated find. We were so pleased with the last minute suggestion from Biale ambassadors. The people were fantastic. We had a private tasting in a cellar and it was a unique and fun experience. We will definitely revisit. Thank you, Biale!

We had a private tour set up. Our expectations were far exceeded, both with the people and the wines. The variety of the Zins was impressive. We also really enjoyed their Petite Sirah. We joined their wine club and will be back.

We went for the Black Chicken and learned that it is code from the days of Prohibition & The Great Depression. A 14 y/​o immigrant boy struggling to sustain his family after the Patriarch died. The selling of farm produce was insufficient to support the family. But prior to Prohibition the family made wine. These were the days of telephone party lines so anyone could listen in. So orders for produce were called in with a request that a Black Chicken be thrown into the box. Some of these Zins are from vines 150 years old that produce rich & luscious wines. If you are a Zin lover, you will definitely need to get here. And don’t forget the Black Chicken! You will not regret it.

I had the fortunate opportunity to attend a Biale wine dinner in Greensboro, NC where the winemaker and his daughter and vineyard PR manager, Maggie, were both present. I was incredibly impressed with the catalogue of wines, the suggestions, the pairings and the Black Chicken story. I told Maggie, «If I had known Bible existed the last time I was in Napa, I absolutely would have stopped by!»
While on a business trip to California, I knew I had some extra time, so I made an appointment (just like the website says) and I headed over to Biale to taste wine. Sitting outside on the patio, facing the vineyard, with the sun shining and the birds chirping, it was the perfect setting for a great day.
And then it really wasn’t.
The wine was just okay. I wasn’t overly impressed with anything. It must have been the CA air. It might have been the $ 50 I had to fork over for two tastings. It might have been the fact that I may have been a little peckish. I coulda had a V-​8.
My partner and I waited for a long time between each pour, there were no crackers or anything to cleanse our palate. Maybe that’s not commonplace and its uncouth to have something to munch on, but I hated that part. The girl inside said that they’re not allowed to sell food and I was actually offended! «Who said anything about selling it?» Offer complimentary crackers. Sheesh. They did, however, have measly shards of some kind of nut brittle they were trying to sell at the counter. That really pissed me off. I did end up purchasing a Black Chicken t-​shirt and I get compliments on it when I wear it, and that’s the sole reason Biale gets 2 stars.

Stand out winery for their focus on Zins which is becoming difficult to find within Napa Valley. They have a fabulous outdoor patio right next to their vineyards. Since we stopped by first thing in the morning on a day that would reach 104 degrees, we were treated to a wonderful cool breeze. Bill, our host, shared the origins of their Black Chicken label which is worth the stop alone. Their signature Black Chicken label is a bold, smooth zin. They also offer several blended zins which are very nice. They provide a great opportunity to taste zins from different AVA vineyards. Make sure to try the Rocky Ridge with grapes grown from a location called Rock Pile. Not my personal fav but unique.

It pains me to write a review about such a great winery. However, something has changed at Biale. We have been wine club members for a very long time. We live in Portland and this is always the first place that we come when we come into town. Today, we were rushed through our tasting and hustled out the door so they could get ready for their «event». Usually when you are a wine club member, you have an extra little something during your tasting. Maybe a extra little pour of something special, or a tour of the barrel room. Because you are a loyal, repeat customer.
Today, this did not happen. Tom, who was helping us, was distracted and extremely boring. He seemed more interested in getting us out the door. When we asked for an extra pour, he told us they do not have any more wine to open for us because they were getting ready for their event.
Nearby there was another table with a long time wine club couple. They were so unhappy that they cancelled their membership on the spot. Watching how the staff handled an unhappy customer was really an eye opener.
We will be canceling our membership. It’s really a disappointment. Biale, get your act together and recognize that the faithful followers need a little more attention than you are willing to give.

My girlfriend and I had reservations yesterday afternoon (missed the turn the first time because of the small sign). But once we found it… WOW! A beautiful day in a beautiful setting. The Assistant Manager Caitlyn took us to our table outside in the shade and stayed with us pouring wines and chatting. As great as the wines were (Zins) Caitlyn was even better. Such a knowledgeable person who was also very warm and friendly.
The best experience of the day!

They seem to be pretty full of themselves here. Zinfandel at Cabernet prices. Great story, but the family is nowhere to be found and they are about the only napa winery that makes Zinfandel which makes them a great niche filler in a Cabernet dominated market.
Once you get to Alexander valley and Dry Creek valley there are so many Zinfandels, especially old vine Zinfandels, and the bottle prices are way lower. Four tastes of overpriced zin for 20! go to dry creek, you could taste 8 – 10 zins for that much. You don’t have to buy 4 bottles to get your tasting fee back either! Bella or mazzacco or Pezzi king or j Rickards or Talty or Zichichi or anywhere

GM Chris was very nice, place was great’ !loved the wine! George Baca from Quiedan and I loved it!

I was expecting a much better experience after the personal recommendation we’d received as well as the Unilocal reviews. But it fell short.
We’d made reservations just a half hour before we arrived, and already it seemed like we were inconveniencing them. We arrived, sat outside, and our wine guy came out and told us the name of the wine, pointed to where it was grown on the surrounding hills, and left. He was… brief, to put it kindly. My fiancé and I had a good time, but mostly due to ourselves and the adorable labradoodle that was running around like a bat out of hell around the property. We won’t be coming back.
The good: good zins, to be sure.
The bad: service was bleh.

I so desperately want to give Robert Biale five stars but I just can’t…
We arrived, walked up to the bar and were immediately asked (almost felt like demanded) if we had reservations… Why yes we do! Once this was ascertained we were directed to sit outside and someone would be with us shortly. The server would pour our wine provide a quick description and then disappear to talk to the table next to us, providing a lot more information about the wine, the history of the vineyard and the property itself…
The menu stated that tasting charges were waived with the purchase of four bottles and since we enjoyed the wine so much we considered joining the club but in the end we decided to purchase 4 bottles (at $ 50 a pop). Upon returning to the counter we were first of all ignored and then told that we couldn’t purchase what we wanted because we weren’t club members (the wine we wanted was not listed under the wine club only wines so this was confusing) and then we only had one of our tasting charges removed from our bill!
Sigh… Amazing wines… But the service really ruined the experience for my husband and I which meant in the end we didn’t become members of the black chicken society and although the wines were delicious I walked away with a bad taste in my mouth. It’s amazing what one person impact can be on an entire experience!

If you like Zinfandels, you need to make this winery a priority. It’s a small winery, not a lot to look at, but the wine is great and the staff is friendy and knowledgeable. Black Chicken is hands down our favorite wine… If you like Port, you should try the Petite Sirah dessert wine.

I went to a number of wineries on my Napa/​Sonoma trip, over a dozen in fact… this one was my favorite. Why? Aside from having excellent wine (which is almost a given for the area), they are down to earth, welcoming, and in no way pretentious.
They focus on Zinfandel here, with the Black Chicken being their estate wine. You’ll need to make room in your suitcase for a few of these bottles — they’re wonderful. Or, you can do what I did and buy one of their 12-​bottle WineChecks, to take a whole case safely home as airline checked baggage — brilliant product!
They have a number of other wines that are just as good — a Petit Syrah, a Port, and a few others. The choice of what to get was tough — if I was driving home instead of flying you can be sure I’d have filled a lot more of my trunk!

Excellent Zinfandel. Love the Black Chicken. Very nice setting for tasting on the patio. Not your touristy location.

The views are spectacular, the wine is delicious, I especially loved their port, but that wasn’t available unless you were a member of their club.
Yes they want you to become a member of their wine cult, as do all the other vineyards.
Don’t come without an appointment. They were very welcoming and I would come back just for those views surrounding the facility.
We bought a bottle of black chicken and I hope it doesn’t break on the way back to Florida.

Black Chicken Zin — just do it!
This was our first stop for wine tasting in Napa, and I have to say after visiting a ton of wineries over the weekend, this one is probably in my top 3. I would definitely return here. The staff was very friendly and nice. Hilariously there was a really drunk older couple buying some wine/​on some kind of tour there when we were doing our tasting, they provided some extra amusement. But the star here has definitely got to be the wines. I am definitely looking forward to cracking open that black chicken sometime soon!

The first time I went to Napa, I tried Robert Biale. I loved this place — the view, the wines, the staff. Everything about it was amazing.
Our host Tom was so genuine, humble and insightful. We were there from 10am-​12pm, 2 hour session with numerous of delicious wines to taste. AND only $ 20 per person, an amazing deal in my book. I had a wonderful time at Robert’s. My boyfriend and I will most likely come back in the near future.

This was my second visit in 3 years to Robert Biale. The first visit we were referred there after a tasting at a neighboring vineyard. Both times it was excellent. We did not have a reservation but showed up anyway. The staff was friendly and although they were with a group were happy to accommodate us for a tasting. The tasting was outside in the shade overlooking their beautiful vineyard. The host sat with us while we sipped their amazing wines and explained each one. This is one of my favorite vineyards in NAPA. We bought 4 of their wines to take back home to Boston.
A great small quiet vineyard with excellent wine.

Fun location, with outdoor seating areas (for nicer temperatures than the inclement weather we happened upon). The tasting area was warm and cozy. We were entertained by the VERY fun, energetic, and friendly staff. Loved the enthusiastic and unrushed guide; the short-​but-​fun-​and-​interesting tour; the generously-​poured tastings (and bonus tastes); and all of the wonderful wines! ‘Want some more of that Black Chicken! Very enjoyable experience.