Now for something different on the Cabernet front an Italian Cabernet from Veneto. This Anselmi Realda 2019 is something of an unusual red, too – I mean, how much Cab do you see from Soave? Anselmi is a real pioneer of Soave too – one of the first to use French oak on Soave, to the point where Roberto Anselmi left the Soave DOC and ‘relegated’ his wines to IGT Veneto. The Anselmi whites are the real attraction though – this red isn’t exactly an easy wine.

Mint and leather, wrapped up by vanilla. It’s giving away so little now, besides oak cask and oak tannins. Only mid-weight, I’m surprised by the volume of new oak – but it’s very tight-grained, low toast oak, so you just get oak tannins rather than oak sweetness. Did I mention oak? Clearly some power underneath, but it’s still a minty sort of angular thing too. Normally this would be in my ‘almost’ category (bronze medal or lower), but this is interesting.  It just needs to balance the oak and fruit.

Best drinking: later. Probably 2-3 years for a start. It’s not going to fall over. 16.8/20, 89/100+. 14%, $60. Anselmi website (via importer Single Vineyard Sellers). Would I buy it? No.