Nonna’s Vineyard, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley

In 1993, two years after we started the winery, Aldo converted a small vineyard block behind his house to Sangiovese and named it after his mother. It turned out to be so good that we broke from our Zinfandel course and added it to the Biale repertoire. What we have learned about Sangiovese is that it is prolific and needs to be kept in check. With that accomplished through some intensive farming, the wine takes on depth and complexity and vivid flavors. We have also found our Sangiovese to be cellar worthy–they age surprisingly well. The plot of land is just under an acre and we refer to it as “fantasy island” as you cross over the Salvador Creek bridge on the Biale family farm to get to the Sangiovese. Being next to a creek, Bob has had to learn how to fend off the beavers from chewing on the vines.