Close
Search
Filters
Critics scores
99 By Robert Parker
19 By Rene Gabriel
97 By James Suckling
Peter Sisseck was ecstatic about the quality of the 2015 Pingus. Since he no longer uses any new oak—and hasn't since 2012—the élevage in used wood is extended to 23 or 24 months. This is the first vintage certified as biodynamic from Demeter. We poured the wine and took half an hour to get to it, as the wine was very closed at first and opened up very slowly in the glass. Little by little, the nose started showing a floral character, what I consider the perfume of great Ribera del Duero, the elegant part that compensates the powerful nature of the wines and gives the finesse to the best wines. The wine has been very consistent in the last few vintages, as Sisseck reckons the old but balanced vines (they started working in biodynamics in 2000) cushion the vintage differences more than other younger vineyards. These vines were planted in 1929, and they have always been farmed organically and in a traditional way. This is truly outstanding. In a way, it made me think of 2010, even if they are very different years. It was bottled in August 2017, and there are some 6,500 bottles of this gem. Even if very young, it already drinks well. Great wines tend to be drinkable throughout their life...<br/><br/>
Producer
Dominio de Pingus
The recently established, but not at all inexperienced, Dominio de Pingus estate has gathered quite a following since 1995, making them one of today’s top cult-wines coming from the Ribera del Duero. Owner, Peter Sisseck had already made a name for himself as vigneron of Hacienda Monasterio before acquiring several plots planted to old vine Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) for himself. Sisseck takes a more modern approach to his wines, using malolactic fermentation in barrel to produce supple, velvety textured wines. His efforts are more than appreciated, creating intense, pure, dark and even spicy fruit flavors throughout his best wines. His original aim to produce “an unmistakably Spanish, terroir-driven wine…a garage wine,” has come to terms in his world-acclaimed wines. Extremely limited, his best wine, Pingus, a pure Tempranillo has consistently been a showstopper – ranking amongst the best of the appellation year after year. The award winning estate also produces a more reasonably priced Flor de Pingus, and PSI, a blend of predominately Tempranillo and Garnacha making the wine fruit-forward, fresh and pleasantly approachable.