We're honored (and humbled) to have the opportunity to produce wine from these grapes, and show our expression of this site.
Brendan & Laura Carter
About The Wine
This second release of the Unico Zelo Exocarpos Nebbiolo is one that Brendan and Laura Carter have been excited about for some time, and the wine is just superb.
It comes from a special Nebbiolo site in the Adelaide Hills - in fact one of the region's oldest and most respected.
It contains 8 different clones of Nebbiolo, with small portions of Barbera scattered within as is often the case in the variety's Italian home of Piedmonte. After falling defunct for several years the vineyard has been rejuvenated in recent times with this being its second crop the pair have received.
The Carters have taken a more classical approach to making this wine, and the result is simply tremendous.
Nebbiolo lovers rejoice!
About Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is one of the world's truly great wine grapes. Most famously produced in the Italian regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, this king-pin of red varieties is making a surge on Australian soil. The best examples are light to medium bodied with incredible internal power and structure.
These wines can live for decades when grown on the right sites. The classic descriptors of 'tar & roses' are often applied to this variety but the scope for complexity and nuance in the best versions is virtually limitless. The life of a great Nebbiolo as it matures through the years is one of the great wonders in all of wine.
About Unico Zelo
Unico Zelo is the project of winemaking couple Brendan and Laura Carter. In their words, their aim is to create “Italian-inspired, textural and site-expressive wines” and “Australian examples of Mediterranean varieties in an approachable and jovial fashion.”
Since bursting onto the scene in 2014 with their eye-catching, outrageously good value alternative vino, the Carters have spread their wings and their range. They now make a large suite of wines, including single vineyard examples of Fiano, Nero d'Avola and Nebbiolo. They are one of the most dynamic winemaking duos in the country.
Unico Zelo winery, Adelaide Hills
From The Producer
Named after a genus of which the Native Australian Cherry belongs to, which is littered throughout the Adelaide Hills.
The fruit hails from one of the most respected Nebbiolo vineyards in the area, indeed one of the first established in the Adelaide Hills. It fell defunct and overgrown for a number of years, before being brought back to life since 2013 - with this being the first crop we've received since re-working. 8 different clones of Nebbiolo and a small allotment of Barbera (4 clones) exists on an elevated quartz-rich hillside, surrounded by native scrubland.
We've taken a much more classic approach to this variety, with a longer maceration (30 days) and maturation (18 months) in old, large format oak. We're honored (and humbled) to have the opportunity to produce wine from these grapes, and show our expression of this site.
Blend : Nebbiolo (100%)
ABV : 13.00%
Closure : DIAM Cork
Drink Until : 2032
Bottle Size : 750ml
Unico Zelo Winery, Adelaide Hills
Critic Reviews
High floral tones of violets, aniseed, bergamot and leather. Gorgeous flow through the mouth - a really sensual mid palate. More weight and presence than the first release. A firmer wine with ripe red fruit and a core of savoury bitumen-like tannin. Classic Nebbiolo shape with Australian fruit purity. Special wine. - Different Drop Wine Team
"This is quite a stellar thing to drink. Serious in its depth of dark fruit, tarry tannins, cherry pip and sour cherry fruit characters, rose petal nuances. The big deal is the course of granite, pumice, iodine that seems to run through the wine, and create so much thrill. Texture holds the inward concentration of fruit tight and grainy too. It’s compact, long, complex in its feel yet has this exuberant uplift of fresh acidity too. It’s a very good example of modern, Australian nebbiolo. Delicious drinking too." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
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