Ribera del Duero

„Eine derart perfekte Interpretation von feiner, reifer und dichter Frucht, Reife, Rasse und Klasse ist zutiefst beeindruckend. Feinkörnige, polierte Tannine, dunkle Früchte, dezenter Tabak, enorme Präzision und dieser fein geschmeidige, trotzdem komplexe und straffe Gaumenfluss machen einfach nur große Freude.“

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The bottled 2020 Pingus has settled, and the strong Mediterranean accent that was quite strong early on seems to have calmed down. The wine shows more of the serious Pingus character and is harmonious, balanced and elegant, perhaps because of the time it spent in oak vat (starting this year, it is not only in barrique). It feels very complete and intense but without weight or heaviness, and the fruit shows very clean and focused. Peter Sisseck compared it with the 2000, a wine that for him transcends the vintage; it showcases the balance (wines like 1996, 2000, 2012, 2016 and 2018). The quality of the tannins is stunning, which make the wine very elegant and balanced, and it has good freshness (even some red fruit!). This is exceptionally good, but somehow my heart didn't beat like with the wines he compared them with... 7,500 bottles were filled in July 2022.

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020."

**Pingus 2017** besticht mit einer kraftvollen und zugleich raffinierten Aromatik. In der Nase treffen intensive Noten von Schwarzkirsche, Himbeere und dunklen Waldfrüchtekonfit auf subtile florale Nuancen und ätherische Anklänge. Am Gaumen entfaltet sich eine lebendige, frische Säure, begleitet von dunkler Frucht und anregenden Gewürzen, die an Weihnachten erinnern. Die Struktur des Weins wird durch ein kompaktes Tannin getragen, das in ein beeindruckend langes und facettenreiches Finale mündet.

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The subtle, austere and nuanced sample of the 2021 Pingus I tasted was harmonious, balanced and elegant. It's basically pure Tempranillo from La Horra that is young but surprisingly harmonious, very precise, clean, pure, with no apparent oak despite being a barrel sample. The wine is maturing in barrels that were previously used for PSI; Sisseck purchased a couple of 1,500-liter oak vats that he's using for PSI, and he still doesn't know if he's going to age part of Pingus in it. Purity, elegance and precision. The wine is medium-bodied, the tannins super fine and the mouthfeel is velvety, with a restrained 13.8% alcohol. There should be around 8,200 bottles, and the expectation today is to bottle it around June 2023."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasting a new vintage of Pingus for the first time is a special moment, and the 2022 Pingus shows the gentler profile of the vintage—it's perfumed, fruit-driven and peachy, with perfume and elegance. Peter Sisseck told me that it's his favorite vintage, because it's more the idea he has for this wine. He compared it to 2000 ("a vintage under the radar," he told me) and 1996. This aged exclusively in barrel; some vintages age for a while in 2,000- and 1,500-liter oak foudres, which was the case for the 2021, 2020 and 2018 but not in 2022. "I liked the evolution of the wine in barrel so much that I left it there the whole time," Sisseck explained. It's young and tender, ripe and juicy, with some spicy notes but with very good freshness and balance. There will be some 7,500 bottles of Pingus, and they expect to bottle it in June/July 2024."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The nose of the 2022 Flor de Pingus has a peachy note (peche de vigne!). It's perfumed, elegant, more fruit-driven, tender, delicate and ripe without excess (but possibly the ripest of the 2022s, perhaps the influence of the younger vines). It has a tender palate with glossy tannins and a rounder mouthfeel. The finish is dry, even a little austere, with fine chalkiness. In general, the 2022s showed quite well, much better than expected. The wine was blended and clarified and is in tank waiting to be bottled. They expect to bottle the 2022s in June (or late May). They expect some 89,000 bottles, a little less because the young vines suffered more with the heat."

Der Pingus 2012 präsentiert sich mit einer faszinierenden Komplexität und Eleganz. In der Nase entfalten sich florale Nuancen wie kandierte Veilchen und Hibiskus, begleitet von orientalischen Gewürzen, Edelholzwürze und schwarzen Beeren. Am Gaumen beeindruckt er mit einer dichten Struktur, süßlicher Textur und reifen Tanninen. Frische Säure verleiht ihm Lebendigkeit, während der Abgang durch salzige Nuancen und lange anhaltende Aromen von Blaubeeren und frischen Blumen überzeugt.

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasting a new vintage of Pingus for the first time is a special moment, and the 2022 Pingus shows the gentler profile of the vintage—it's perfumed, fruit-driven and peachy, with perfume and elegance. Peter Sisseck told me that it's his favorite vintage, because it's more the idea he has for this wine. He compared it to 2000 ("a vintage under the radar," he told me) and 1996. This aged exclusively in barrel; some vintages age for a while in 2,000- and 1,500-liter oak foudres, which was the case for the 2021, 2020 and 2018 but not in 2022. "I liked the evolution of the wine in barrel so much that I left it there the whole time," Sisseck explained. It's young and tender, ripe and juicy, with some spicy notes but with very good freshness and balance. There will be some 7,500 bottles of Pingus, and they expect to bottle it in June/July 2024."

Der PSI 2021 präsentiert sich in einem granatroten Kleid mit leicht violettem Schimmer. Das Bouquet verführt mit Noten von Blut, saurer Kirsche und Brombeeren, umgeben von Veilchen und getrockneten Blumen. Am Gaumen zeigt er sich trocken und samtig, begleitet von kreidigen Tanninen, die eine kompakte Textur und lang anhaltende Frucht- und Blütenaromen offenbaren. Elegante Fruchtaromatik, saftige Säure und feines Tannin prägen den geschmeidigen Abgang.

Sehr tiefes und dichtes Rubinrot. In der Nase dunkle Beeren, schwarze Herzkirsche, Zedernholz, asiatische Gewürze und Madagaskar Vanille. Am Gaumen die gesamte Palette schwarzer Beeren, mit Kirschen, Blaubeeren, Brombeeren und dunkler Johannisbeere. All dies garniert mit 99%iger Valhrona Schokolade, einem feinen Mix aus getrockneten Gewürzen und feinster Vanille. Dichter, viskoser Fluß mit feinen Tanninen, absolut perfekter Säure und tiefer Struktur, dabei trotzdem elegant und nahezu filigran gezeichnet. Im Abgang Frucht, Frucht und nochmals Frucht.