Creativity, research, innovation and heritage: these are the values that shape the style of Fear No Dark, a new project from the Pasqua family that expresses the most daring reaches of their oenological vision.
Although Pasqua Wines is a respectful custodian of its history, it sees tradition as a motor of innovation and does not remain tied to the rules of the past: the constant drive to innovate has propelled the company beyond the confines of the familiar.
Challenging darkness
Fear No Dark presents a bold metaphorical challenge to the absence of light, the ultimate symbol of the unexplored. With the release of this new project, Pasqua Wines continues its quest for innovation, seeking new oenological horizons without fearing the unknown. The wine bears out the winemakers’ belief in the potential of a shadowy parcel within the extraordinary Mai Dire Mai vineyard in Montevegro, tended by the Pasqua family since 2010; an embracing of darkness as a place of undiscovered possibilities. Pasqua handles the grapes with both ancestral knowledge and state-of-the-art technology, daring to vinify grapes of unapologetic concentration and an assertive and powerful character; mastering a fierce raw material to sculpt an elegant wine.
The Mai Dire Mai vineyard
A Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend with 5% of the indigenous Oseleta, Fear No Dark reveals a different side of a vineyard already praised for the Amarone Mai Dire Mai. The specific parcel Fear No Dark hails from is a northeast-facing plot, covering 5.1 hectares in one the property’s most secluded areas. With limited sun exposure, and kissed by the breezes from Mount Lessini, the plot is notably cool, allowing for a longer maturation cycle. Pergola-trained and with a density of 4,000 vines/ha, it was one of the first plots to be planted at Mai Dire Mai, 40 years ago, delivering small yields of concentrated and very complex fruit. To tame this complexity, Fear No Dark rests for 16 months in new French oak 500-litre tonneaux and 225-litre barriques.
‘We have been working on this project since 2010, the first vintage of Mai Dire Mai Amarone,’ explains CEO Riccardo Pasqua. ‘We have since studied the character of each parcel and, recognising the potential of that specific shadowy plot, have patiently observed its potential. We have waited 10 years to consolidate and position the Mai Dire Mai range, which has since become one of our most successful brands,’ he continues. ‘Today, having refined the knowledge of each micro-parcel and of how to vinify Cabernet Sauvignon – and having been validated by both national and international critics – we are ready to present Fear No Dark. It is testimony of our strength of vision and of the coherence of all our projects.’
Riccardo, Umberto and Alessandro Pasqua
Winemaking as art
The first release of Fear No Dark, the 2020 vintage, of which only 12,000 bottles were produced, was marked by balance and harmony. A mild and dry winter was followed by a rainy and troubled spring, offset by a summer without extreme temperatures and with ideal levels of rainfall. During harvest, in the second half of October, optimal conditions, dry and warm, allowed the best grapes to reach the winery in perfect condition.
The result is a wine positioned between a Valpolicella Classico and an Amarone, in the ultra-premium segment, released to market on the full moon, 29 September 2023, and available on allocation only. The date was intentionally chosen within the framework of the Luna Somnium art project, consolidating the connection between Pasqua’s winemaking legacy and the fine art world. Luna Somnium is a installation unveiled during the latest edition of Vinitaly and exhibited at the Gallerie Mercatali di Verona. Through the symbol of the moon, it evokes a new vision of reality via the emotional power of art, calling on the audience to shed preconceptions and attachments to what is already known, to change perceptions and to remain open to new perspectives.
Embracing the unknown
Luna Somnium therefore becomes an invitation to free interpretation and expression, a dream that combines poetry and technology, envisioned through the power of human imagination. This makes a perfect parallel with the essence of Pasqua Wines, exemplified by Fear No Dark and Mai Dire Mai; a laboratory of constant research, open to dialogue and confrontation, where the new and the unknown are embraced rather than feared.
Fear No Dark, Veneto IGT 2020
Cabernet Sauvignon 95%, Oseleta 5%
Hailing from a northeast-facing and pergola-trained plot in the Mai Dire Mai vineyard. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in stainless steel with a 20-day maceration. The wine then rests for 16 months in new French oak 500-litre tonneaux and 225-litre barriques.
The nose, with a core fruity character, has fine aromas of forest fruit and red orchard fruit, topped by balsamic nuances. Touches of medicinal herbs and forest floor add depth and nuance. The palate follows, luscious yet precise, with silky tannins and lingering flavours of wild strawberries and redcurrants.
