TN: Unico Zelo/Three Oz Italian Varietals...(short/boring)

[TomHill]

These appeared down at Kokomanns the other day:
1. Unico Zelo Jade&Jasper Fiano Riverland (11.5%; EpicureanWines/Seattle; www.unicozelo.com.au/) Brendan & Laura/UnicoZelo/Gumeracha/SouthAustralia 2020: Med.light gold color; very strong fresh/floral/daffodils/tulips/Alpine floral/edelweiss slight pineapple bit spicy/cardamon lovely Alpine floral beautifully fragrant nose; bit soft very rich/lush some strong floral/daffodils/Alpine floral sight tangy lightly spicy flavor; med.long very perfumed/floral/Alpine flowers very high-toned/vibrant lovely finish; like no other Fiano I've had; the most perfumed/aromatic Fiano I've ever tried; doesn't have that lightly earthy/rustic character of Italian Fiano; some like a vibrant white from the Savoie or Val d'Aosta bu not the minerality; a very unusual rendition of Fiano that probably won't appeal to lovers of Italian Fiano; doubt it will age as well as Italian Fiano; very well-priced at $19.50 (KK)
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2. Unico Zelo Truffle Hound ClareVlly (50% Nebb/34% Barbera/16% Sangio; 13%) Brendan & Laura 2020: Very dark color; very strong Nebb/licorice/pungent/bit tarry/truffly some Barbara/spicy light pencilly/oak slight earthy quite fragrant slight floral lovely perfumed nose; lightly tart/angular strong Nebb/pungent/licorice/bit tarry light floral/violets some spicy/Barbera light pencilly/oak some complex flavor w/ modest tangy/chewey tannins; very long rather hard/tangy lightly floral/violets rather pungent/licorice/Nebb some spicy/Barbera light pencilly/oak finish w/ modest hard/chewey tannins; resembles some a Piemonte Nebb/Barbera blend; both the Nebb & Barbera are well-deliniated; speaks more of the pungent/tarry side of Nebb but not a lot of perfumed/floral character; can use 2-5 yrs of age; rather structured red; quite an interesting Piemonte-like blend at a very good price. $19.50 (KK)
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2. Unico Zelo Fresh A.F. Riverland (70% Nero d'Avola/30% Zibibbo; 12%) Brendan & Laura 2020: Med.dark color; strong earthy/loamy/mushroomy bit blackberry/boysenberry/licorice/black cherry cola lightly floral/lilacs fairly spicy/fragrant very attractive nose; bit tart/tangy strong blackberry/licorice/black cherry cola some earthy/loamy bit rustic/rough very interesting flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/boysenberry/licorice slight floral bit tangy/hard slight pencilly/oak bit rough/rustic finish w/ modest tannins; speaks mostly of Nd'A but w/o the rough/coarse character of Sicilian Nd'A & more like a Calif Nd'A; not sure what the Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexander) adds to this blend; rather Italianate/rough/rustic and very non-Oz-like; fairly high-toned for a Nd'A; quite an interesting/unusual blend at a very good price. $19.50 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This is the wnry of Brendan & Laura Carter. Truffle Hound is their pup. They seek to make Mediterranean varieties with an Australian influence:(www.younggunofwine.com/winemaker/laura- ... unico-zelo)
I was rather impressed by all three of these wines. The Fiano was the most perfumed Fiano I can recall & no resemblance to any Italian Fiano I've had. The two red blends were quite Italianate in character. Served blind, I would identify them as Italian rather than Oz. They make a fairly extensive lineup of wines, some very whimsically named, and would like to try some of their other wines. A pretty eye-opening tableau of wines.
Tom