![Robert Biale Vineyards Petite Sirah Royal Punishers 2023 (Napa Valley, California) - [JS 93] [WA 93]](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/files/j9lw1l5tlsn0hfbgjaei_{width}x.jpg?v=1761762737)
Robert Biale Vineyards Petite Sirah Royal Punishers 2023
(Napa Valley, California) - [JS 93] [WA 93]
Regular price $57.00 Sale price $52.97 Save $4.03
For nearly a century Petite Sirah held the title of the most commonly planted variety in the Napa Valley, only surpassed by Cabernet in the late 1960’s. Known for its dark color, firm structure, deep blue and black fruit flavors, Petite Sirah has an affinity for improving blends made from Zinfandel or Cabernet— it is no wonder that this grape held the top spot among growers and winemakers for so many years.
To honor the heritage of Petite Sirah in the Napa Valley, we bottle our Petite Sirah under the name Royal Punishers. An anagram of the parent grapes of Petite Sirah, Peloursin and Syrah, the name Royal Punishers speaks to the wine’s finesse and structure.
A 100% Petite Sirah blend with components from Rutherford, the Oak Knoll, Pope Valley, and St. Helena, the Royal Punishers shows why Petite Sirah remains a vital part of Napa Valley’s grape growing traditions.
Winemaker Notes
Vintage Notes:
The 2023 season was one of the coolest vintages in more than a decade that, as time progressed, showed all the markings of the spectacular vintage that ended up in the bottle. Several years of drought were erased in a single season as rains began just after the completion of the 2022 harvest and continued through the spring of 2023. Ample ground water and cool temperatures delayed budbreak until April with flowering in mid-May. Moderate temperatures through the spring and summer allowed for balanced maturation across all vineyards - allowing us to pick at the perfect intersections of flavor, sugar, acid, and tannin maturity. Harvesting at Robert Biale began with earlier sites in September while moderate heat at the start of October accelerated picking that lasted through the end of the month.
Winemaker's Tasting Notes:
Warm and inviting with notes of blackberry, cedar, plum, and wet slate on the nose. Rich on the palate with clove, blackberry, fig, and white pepper. Elegant, mouth coating tannins frame this wonderfully complex Napa Valley Petite Sirah.
Ratings & Reviews
93 Points - James Suckling:"An inky dark, tannic and super-concentrated wine that's packed with dark chocolate and dried blueberries. Lavish, with fine-grained tannins that give a broad, mouth-coating texture and a lingering finish. Full-bodied and impressive, but still drinkable and plush. Drink now or hold." - JS (Mar 2025)
"Sourced from vineyards in Rutherford and Oak Knoll, Biale's 2023 Petite Sirah Royal Punishers combines violet-like floral notions with blackberries and blueberries, capped off with a bit of oak-derived spice (it matured in 35% new French oak). Full-bodied, plush and velvety, with a lingering finish, it may be consumed young or aged at least a decade. Besides being a cool name, did you know that Royal Punishers is an anagram of "Peloursin" and "Syrah," the parent varieties of Petite Sirah?" - Joe Czerwinski (June 2025)
"The 2023 ‘Royal Punishers’ shows up inky in the glass. Mocha, tar and dark chocolate shavings mingle well with fresh blue fruits on the palate. Soft and savory with a seamless texture, enjoy now and over the next ten years."
"Ripe but sleek in style, with baking spice notes clinging to the floral blackberry and plum core. Details of licorice and slate join the firming finish around slightly chewy tannins and dark, bitter chocolate hints. Drink now through 2035. 1,050 cases made." -AR (9/30/25)