Biale Buzz

“Let the Sun Shine!” On August 3rd, we officially announced the deployment of our new solar panel system on the roof of our winery and crush pad. The new 145kW Solaria® PowerXT® solar array is a sleek and highly efficient system that provides a beautiful architectural finish while offsetting the utility costs by nearly eliminating our electricity bills. The system was installed by Solaria® Pro Partner Installer, Summit Technology. “Installing this solar power system is aligned with Robert Biale Vineyards’ commitment to sustainability strategies and practices. This state-of-the-art solar array will empower us to reduce our utility costs while illustrating to our visitors and community our commitment to environmentally sound practices. We hope that our visitors will gain an appreciation of our sustainability initiatives and how we’re working to ensure a clean energy future,” said Bob Biale. Summit Technology is one of the largest and most experienced electric systems contractors in Sonoma, Napa, and Marin counties. They completed the installation of our 362 Solaria® PowerXT® solar panels and SolarEdge inverters and converters in less than four weeks. Press Announcements:  Solaria® Press Release WineBusiness.com Article

Look out Black Chicken Society Members for your next shipment! You’ll be receiving some great wines to enjoy during those cold autumn nights by the fire. As you sit around the fireside telling stories and hanging out with friends and family, we hope you enjoy a bottle or two of these wines that we have personally selected for you. 2019 Black Chicken Zinfandel: Sourced from the original family vineyard that Aldo, Nonna, Bob, and the Biale family have farmed since the 1930s, with additional grapes from our Oak Knoll District Vineyard, Black Chicken represents the ultimate expression of Napa Valley Zinfandel from this cool, southern region. Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: This wine is round and plush with a gentle grip of perfectly ripe tannins. It showcases bright aromas with a fine-grained texture exhibiting notes of red and dark fruit – raspberries, cherries, blackberries – star anise, black and white pepper, cocoa, and subtle, nuanced oak. Ageworthy, compelling, and decadent, this beautifully proportioned Zinfandel is ready to enjoy now and will continue to age gracefully over the next 3 to 5 years. 2019 Stagecoach Vineyard® Zinfandel: We are proud of our project at Stagecoach Vineyards®. This vineyard location is unlike any other

What does it mean to be Napa Green? “Sustainability rests on three pillars: People, Planet and Prosperity. For Napa Green we describe it as caring for the health of nature, caring for the health of employees and community, and caring for the health and resilience of conscientious businesses.”-Napa Green Robert Biale Vineyards has been Vineyard and Winery Green certified for 3 years through the Fish Friendly Farming/Napa Green Program. It was a long process, but we are incredibly honored to be a part of an organization with similar beliefs as ours. As a winery, when we think about sustainability, we must consider the following: water efficiency, pest management & wildlife, soil health, waste management, supply chain, and consumers. Our goal is to set the foundation for the future generation of growers, and consumers to have the opportunity to enjoy these beautiful vineyards and wines. We like to say we are stewards of the land and we want to continue this mission with every vineyard we work with. Here are some ways we have dedicated ourselves to the land and the wine we produce: At the winery -Ordering of compostable materials like paper towels, plates, and silverware. -Using packaging materials and

If you have recently visited Napa Valley, you may have seen the thousands of people pulled off taking photos in the mustard off Route 29. Besides creating a sunny blanket over the Napa Valley, what is the purpose of planting mustard throughout the vineyard? Mustard is the popular beneficial cover crop and not a weed by any means. Let’s start with defining cover crop! Cover crop is “a crop grown for the protection and enrichment of the soil”.  Mustard is a beneficial cover crop that is either planted or sprouts voluntarily in vineyards to prevent against soil erosion, recharge the soil with nitrogen, and to help suppress the population of nematodes. Nematodes are pesky microscopic worms that cause damage to the roots of the vines which leads to vine decline. Being from the Brassicaceae family, mustard contains chemical compounds that act as a biofumigant. These compounds are called glucosinolates that when combined with water, chemically break down to a compound called isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates have nemacidal and fungicidal properties which make them perfect for preventing and suppressing nematodes in the vineyards. To make it simple, nematodes hate the bitterness of the mustard so filling the valley with mustard only makes sense.

For Napa and Sonoma, the growing season in 2018 was very fortunate. In fact, 2018 began with heavy rainfall, moderate spring, and summer, and warm September–ideal seasonal conditions for long-ripening, a great harvest, and vintage quality. Many winemakers liken the 2018 vintage to the incredible 2012 where the crop was large and the wines superb. The Biale 2018 vintage red wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma that we are now releasing are emblematic of the excellent vintage and are characterized by deep flavors, dark color, fine texture, freshness, and overall excellent balance. These are standard-setting wine industry benchmarks of California’s heritage red varietals–Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. “Bravo!” to Biale winemaker Tres Goetting and viticulturist (and owner), Bob Biale for this slew of California classics. We are honored to provide the following reviews of our Zinfandel and Petite Sirahs by Antonio Galloni (Vinous), Wine Enthusiast, and Jeb Dunnuck. To order any of these highly acclaimed Zinfandel and Petite Sirahs check out our Purchase Page or contact customerservice@biale.com.

Robert Biale Vineyards specializes in preserving California’s heritage wines:  Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. Zinfandel vineyards are currently only 2% of Napa Valley plantings, and Napa Valley makes up only 4% of California wine produced. What was once a California staple is now a hidden treasure. With over 14 different Zinfandels, Robert Biale Vineyards is the champion of this noble variety in the Napa Valley. Founder, Bob Biale, learned early on that what brought him (& his father Aldo) joy was vineyard restoration and preservation projects. What began as preserving their family Zinfandel vineyard amidst the rise of Cabernet has turned into preserving the legacy and history of many other older Zinfandel vineyards both in Napa and Sonoma Counties. In fact, Robert Biale Vineyards sources from four of the oldest vineyards in all of California. Those are: Old Kraft in Saint Helena, and Bedrock Vineyard, Pagani Ranch, and Monte Rosso Vineyard® in Sonoma. Each of these vineyards tells its own story through time. Old Kraft Vineyard The oldest vineyard Robert Biale sources from in Napa Valley is the Old Kraft Vineyard in Saint Helena. This vineyard was planted in the 1860s and then replanted in the 1890s by well-known Saint Helena