Tasting notes:

From the inaugural vintage of this fascinating wine called Fear no Dark, this Cabernet-dominant blend hails from Pasqua’s 40-year-old vines in the Veneto, and features a 5% peppering of native grape Oselato, which brings spice and freshness, like Petit Verdot does in Bordeaux. The result is a wine that’s now starting to evolve, with a touch of stewed cherry, along with plums and crunchy currants, then toast and cedar from its time in barriques, and a touch of tobacco leaf as well as sage on the grippy, finely tannic finish. A lovely, refreshing Italian alternative to classic claret.(Patrick Schmitt MW)