2021 Dominio del Pingus PSI

Vinous 96 – “The 2021 PSI is 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha sourced from old vines planted in calcareous soils and was aged for up to 16 months in mostly sizeable French oak barrels. In the glass, it’s garnet-red with a light purple sheen. The nose offers blood notes along with sour cherry and blackberry, intertwined with violets and dried flowers, resulting in a layered, complex profile. On the palate, it’s dry and velvety. Chalky tannins define a compact mouthfeel and long-lasting fruit and floral flavors. The 2021 is a distinctive Ribera del Duero with excellent nuance and agility.
Peter Sisseck, a legend in Ribera del Duero, has established and maintained a reputation for precision and excellence since he first came to this corner of Spain in 1992. Trained in Bordeaux, Sisseck elevated Ribera to World Class status with the first vintages of Pingus in 1995 and 1996. In 2003, Sisseck introduced the house’s second label, Flor de Pingus. By 2005, a warm vintage, he had recalibrated his Tempranillo, adopting a gentler approach and larger, used barrels for aging. “We changed everything so we could keep doing the same thing,” he says as we tour the barrel room. For Pingus, Sisseck harvests old vineyards in La Horra and nearby plots, crafting an austere version of a Ribera red enhanced by the limestone soils to produce a reserved but nuanced character. For the Flor de Pingus, he uses old vines from Soria, creating a richer profile with polished tannins but just as much complexity. Sisseck’s meticulous approach is a beacon of Ribera del Duero excellence.”

Wine Advocate (93-95) – “A new era starts in 2021, when they got a new winemaker for PSI. The 2021 PSI—still unbottled, as it should have an élevage of 20 months—comes from a cooler year than 2020, but it was also a drier vintage and the wine has more finesse than in 2020. It develops a note of honey, beeswax and pollen—Peter thinks this comes from the wine from Gumiel de Izán (and it also happens in Quintana del Pidio), as the 2021 has a significant percentage from Gumiel de Izán. 2021 is an approachable vintage, and the wine feels very elegant. It has 14.1% alcohol, slightly higher than 2020, but even if they do not harvest looking at the alcohol, they try to avoid going over 14%. I tasted a sample from 80% oak vat and 20% in barrel, with some new barrels. This is going in the right direction. They expect to bottle some 360,000 bottles. As they harvest early, they start the élevage almost one month earlier than others, so they think the wine might be bottled in May 2023.”