Robert Biale Vineyards: Barbera

By the time you sit down for a tasting at Robert Biale, you’ll be ready to ask: “What’s up with this ‘black chicken’ thing?” Images of such an animal, warnings (there’s a “WATCH FOR BLACK CHICKEN” sign) and wines named after it are everywhere at this Oak Knoll winery. Turns out, “black chicken” functioned as a kind of password back in the days when Biale operated as a bootlegger. But there’s a lot more to that story, and I’ll leave you to discover it for yourself when you visit.

Robert Biale makes no Cabernet: This is primarily a Zinfandel house. And the Zins are among Napa Valley’s best, with more than a dozen single-vineyard offerings from pedigreed sites including the estate’s crown jewel, Aldo’s Vineyard. But Biale is also one of just two producers of Napa Valley Barbera. Theirs is from 90-year-old vines from Calistoga’s Gaudi Carli Vineyard, and is made in quite small quantities; you may have to be extra-nice to get a taste, and even nicer to get a bottle.

Barbera is quite widely planted in Italy, where it’s prized for its productivity and easy-drinking, approachable nature. It reaches its apogee as Barbera d’Asti, in Piedmont, where it can produce earthy, berry-flavored wines. Fuller bodied than Grignolino and less tannic than Nebbiolo, Barbera is perennially reliable. While it’s relatively common in other regions of California like the Sierra Foothills, Napa never staked a claim in it. That makes Biale’s Barbera ($40) — earthy, spicy and red-fruited — all the more special.

4038 Big Ranch Road, Napa. (707) 257-7555. www.biale.com. Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, by appointment. Tasting fee $25.