- Practicing Sustainable
- 100% Zinfandel
- Sourced from their estate vineyards in Oak Knoll District AVA (Napa Valley)
- Ancient Marine sediments and rocky alluvial fan soils
- Head-trained and dry-farmed vines
- Hand-harvested
- Fermented in open-top fermenters
- 2-4-day cold soak
- 2-3-punch downs a day
- Aged 16 months in 100% Burgundy oak barrels (25% new)
- 14.8% abv
Info
Producer:
Vintage:
2023
Country:
United States
Region:
California
Appellation:
Napa
Variety:
Zinfandel
Color:
Red
Farming Practice:
Sustainable
Sizes Available
| Full Bottle | US-BLE-01-23 | 12/750ml |
Press & Reviews
Wine Spectator
Score
94
Date
2025-08-31
"Jammy and generous, with bold aromatics, this red is a pleasure to drink, offering polished cherry and blackberry tart flavors accented by briar patch and licorice as this zips along the lively finish. Drink now through 2034. 6,000 cases made."
Vinous
Score
92
Date
2025-07-08
"The 2023 Zinfandel Black Chicken is an absolute delight. Plump, juicy and open-knit, Black Chicken is one the most accessible wines in this range. Succulent red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, pomegranate and a refreshing kick of blood orange all meld together effortlessly."
REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES
2022
Wine Enthusiast
Score
94
Date
2024-06-01
"A classic Napa Valley Zinfandel, this bottling offers savory and earthy aro[1]matics that carry into flavors of dark plum, tobacco and dark chocolate. It™s rich in flavor, well balanced by mouthwatering acidity that refreshes the palate with every sip. Impressively persistent. "E.C.B."
2022
James Suckling
Score
93
Date
2024-04-04
"Delicious, harmonious and flavorful Zinfandel. This has notes of plums, spiced cherries, wild berries, herbs and rusks. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins. It has a bright core of berries at the center with a subtle structure. Mellow and poised. Drink or hold."
2022
Wine Spectator
Score
93
Date
2024-05-08
"Robust yet retaining a sense of refinement, this red offers blackberry, briar patch and white pepper flavors that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2034. "T.F."
2022
Wine Advocate
Score
91
Date
2024-10-17
"Blended from a number of vineyards, including some barrels from single vineyards that get"
Wine Enthusiast
Score
94
Date
2024-06-01
"A classic Napa Valley Zinfandel, this bottling offers savory and earthy aromatics that carry into flavors of dark plum, tobacco and dark chocolate. It™s rich in flavor, well balanced by mouthwatering acidity that refreshes the palate with every sip. Impressively persistent. "E.C.B."
James Suckling
Score
93
Date
2024-04-04
"Delicious, harmonious and flavorful Zinfandel. This has notes of plums, spiced cherries, wild berries, herbs and rusks. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins. It has a bright core of berries at the center with a subtle structure. Mellow and poised. Drink or hold."
Wine Spectator
Score
93
Date
2024-05-08
"Robust yet retaining a sense of refinement, this red offers blackberry, briar patch and white pepper flavors that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2034. "T.F."
Jeb Dunnuck
Score
92
Date
2023-12-26
"Tobacco, cigar, red and black plums, and strawberry notes all emerge from the 2022 Zinfandel Black Chicken, a medium-bodied, elegant, seamless Zinfandel that has light tannins and a great finish. It's beautifully done and as seamless as they come."
Wine Advocate
Score
91
Date
2024-10-17
"Blended from a number of vineyards, including some barrels from single vineyards that get "declassified" into this bottling, the 2022 Zinfandel Black Chicken comes from vines with an average age of 40 years. Raspberries and blackberries mark the nose, accompanied by hints of cracked pepper and ground clove, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, framed by silky tannins and finishing long and softly dusty."