2001 Pingus Ribera del Duero – Archetype Tasting

Wine Tasting, July 17th, 2019

As one of the true legends of modern Spanish wine, Pingus has become a producer to carry mysterious gravitas, among hushed circles of wine professionals and collectors. Few will see the wine in the wild, if ever, with more likely siblings Flor de Pingus and Psi finding more common exposure.

For our Archetype tasting this month, the seventh vintage of Pingus is featured, 2001. Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck first began the project in 1995, and the latest release of the wine is now 2016, a cellared release as is every vintage.This 100% Tempranillo is taken to similar heights as wines from Vega Sicilia and Tinto Pesquera, perhaps exceeding them with intensity and focus. The only way to find out for sure is by experiencing the wine, and no better way than with an example in the perfect midspan of its maturity.

Each guest is asked to bring an exciting bottle to share with the group, a format that will make for a truly remarkable evening. With just days remaining before the Master Sommelier Theory exam on July 22nd, Nick is excited to host this Archetype event with the Buddies, from his home in Fremont.

Wine List:

  • NV Cédric Bouchard, “Côte de Béchalin”, Brut Blanc de Noirs, Champagne, FR
  • 2001 Pingus, Ribera del Duero, ES
  • 2012 Pingus, “Flor de Pingus”, Ribera del Duero, ES
  • 2004 Vega-Sicilia, “Unico”, Ribera del Duero, ES
  • 2009 Breckenridge, “Jen Mar Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, US
  • 2015 Vignai da Duline, Schioppettino, Venezia Giulia, IT
  • 1997 René Renou, “Tri de Vendanges”, Bonnezeaux, FR
  • 2017 DeLille Cellars, “Le Petit Doux” Late Harvest Sémillon, Red Mountain, US

Key Reviews for 2001 Pingus:

The Wine Advocate: The opaque ruby/purple-colored, firmly-structured 2001 Pingus is more closed and backward than the extravagantly rich, flamboyant 2000. It offers great fruit on the attack along with huge body, and notes of grilled meats intermixed with Provencal herbs, pepper, spice box, cigar smoke, and copious quantities of barbecue smoke-infused blackberry and cassis flavors. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2028, 95 points. – The Wine Advocate, Robert M. Parker, Jr., April 2004

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar: Deep, bright ruby-red. Cherry, licorice and smoked meat at the outset; then exploded with raspberry fruit. Lush, smooth and silky, with lovely inner-mouth perfume. Highly complex flavors of raspberry, minerals, bitter chocolate and smoky oak convey an extraordinary sweetness without any excess weight. Expands wonderfully on the extremely long, aromatic finish, which features noble, palate-dusting tannins. From the recorked bottle, the wine again began with dominant smoky, tarry torrefaction notes, and within minutes was taken over by red berries and flowers. More classic than the ’03, but the 2003 may be even richer, 95 points. – Stephen Tanzer, September 2004

Jancis Robinson Purple Pages: Subtle forest floor aromas, then fresher woodland and cedar mixed with bramble fruit. Overall subtle, silky and fresh with the fully resolved tannins giving silky freshness, 17.5 points. – Julia Harding MW, November 2009

The Dominio de Pingus range, by Peter Sisseck

  • “Pingus” Ribera del Duero
    • 100% Tempranillo
  • “Flor de Pingus” Ribera del Duero
    • 100% Tempranillo
  • “Ψ PSI” Ribera del Duero
    • 100% Tempranillo
  • “Amelia” Ribera del Duero
    • 100% Tempranillo

Attendance:

  • Nick D.
  • Michele D.
  • Jae H.
  • Katharina P.
  • Aaron S.
  • Jason S.
  • Jonathan V.

Pingus: Vertical Vintage Summary

Seen in the section below, a full vertical of Pingus vintage reviews from The Wine Advocate, from 1995 to present. Reviewers include Luis Gutiérrez, Jay Miller, and Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Listed here are the scores. Though the scores alone offer a (very limited) insight to the wine, outliers on either end can signify patterns across vintages. For example, 2002 vintages in Ribera are often scored quite lower, due to the wines reflecting challenging conditions, versus 2012 which consistently scores quite high.

The true meat of these reviews is with notes that signify vintage conditions, and prouduction methods used by the winemaker, Peter Sisseck. Scores in brackets are considered provisional. For a world-class wine such as this, high scores are the norm. Within that echelon, scores below 97 have been noted, perhaps reflecting lighter wines, from cooler, wetter, or more challenging years.

Excellent vintage resources are found in detail, both by Jancis Robinson, and Vinous.

  • 10’s
    • 2016: (98-100)
    • 2015: 99
    • 2014: 100
    • 2013: 96
    • 2012: 100
    • 2011: 95
    • 2010: 96
  • 00’s 
    • 2009: 97
    • 2008: 99
    • 2007: 98
    • 2006: 98
    • 2005: 99
    • 2004: 100
    • 2003: (96-100)
    • 2002: no score (Pingus not produced)
    • 2001: 95
    • 2000: 96
  • 90’s
    • 1999: 98
    • 1998: 88
    • 1997: 87
    • 1996: 96
    • 1995: 98

Pingus: 22 Years of Reviews

Below is a listing of every Pingus review from The Wine Advocate, since the inaugural 1995 vintage. Some key elements of each review have been noted in bold.

Reviewers: 
LG – Luis Gutiérrez
JM – Jay Miller
RP – Robert M. Parker, Jr.

  • 2016: (98 – 100)
    • I tasted an unbottled sample of the 2016 Pingus, which is still in barrel and due for bottling in August 2018. The different barrels had already been blended and put into the same barrels after the last racking three days before I encountered it. It has all the baby fat and is tender and primary, but you can sense the harmony and subtleness, the freshness and elegance it should develop, as the Ribera perfume is already incipient there. I couldn’t help but think of the 1996, one of my favorite years.It’s less concentrated than the 2015. It’s also a little less ripe, and it probably has a tad less alcohol and more power. It’s solid, but at the same time, it feels weightless; it has the inner strength and the subtleness of a ballerina. There should be some 7,000 bottles of this. This 21st vintage of Pingusmight be one of the best ever, a modern version of the 1996. – LG, Aug 2018
  • 2015: 99
    • 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…
    • I tasted the bottled 2015s, the about-to-be-bottled 2016s and some barrel samples of the 2017s with Peter Sisseck. 2016 could be the modern version of 1996, and in 2015, a warmer vintage that could have turned into something similar to 2011, the wines have great freshness and are closer to 2010 than 2011, even if the years are completely different. 2015 Pingus is terrific and 2016 Pingus can be another legend in the making… I also had the chance to preview the 2017s in barrel, and I felt the wines were very young and resisted writing them up. Sisseck considers it one of the most challenging vintages he has seen in Ribera del Duero, and he plans on having shorter élevage. But the 2017Pingus was very precise and harmonious, even at such young age. Something to look forward to in the future. – LG, August 2018
  • 2014: 100
    • I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a wine more recently bottled than the 2014 Pingus, which was bottled in the morning and I tasted it that very same evening! Peter Sisseck compares this to the 1995, the first vintage ever produced, when he learned that when you have such perfect grapes, you should do very little to the wine. He’s been trying to replicate that first vintage, but there’s nothing you can do to force it, as it has to be the natural conditions of the vintage that bring those grapes. What he also learned with the 1995 was that with wines like that, you need a long and slow aging in oak; so for the 2014, he decided to do a little longer élevage—three winters in barrel—but in 100% used barrels, something he started in 2012. If it would have been new oak, as in the past, it would have been impossible to have such extended aging without marking the wine too much and possibly forever. The wine was quite tannic to start with, but it was racked every six months, and in that way they have managed to tame those tannins without getting the wine tired, as the aging itself was quite reductive. The nose is quite harmonious and open, but maybe not very expressive, a normal thing considering the extremely short bottle age it had (hours!), but it should gain precision in bottle. In instances like this, you have to guide yourself by the palate. And it’s precisely on the palate where you find that texture that is almost unique to Ribera del Duero when it’s as perfect as this. It’s very different from other zones, a velvety mouthfeel and a surrounding sensation of comfort, incredibly long. The tannins are ultra fine and with that subtle chalkiness of the limestone soils, which also added to the tastiness and the supple aftertaste. In short, I cannot think of a way of improving this Pingus other, than getting a magnum instead of a regular bottle! Congratulations, Peter Sisseck! 4,800 bottles were filled on January 16th of 2017, a slightly shorter production than the average, because part of the vines were hit by hail and didn’t make it into the final blend. Now stay tuned for 2015 and 2016.
    • Peter Sisseck has done it again! He’s crafted an otherworldly Pingus in the superb 2014 vintage in the Ribera del Duero region. All of the wines from that year are simply unbelievable, with possibly the best version of Flor de Pingus ever, and a Pingus that rivals the already perfect 2012. I just wonder where you can go from here, because I previewed a special lot of the 2015, floral and fresh—even drinkable now (I did it!)—that resembled the elegance and perfume of the 1996, one of my favorite early vintages. And even if it’s still very early, he was ecstatic about the quality of the 2016 (which I was kicking myself for not having the chance to taste), something in common with all of the people that were ABLE to harvest early. So the future couldn’t look brighter for Pingus!! Talking about the more accessible PSI, 2014 is the last year when they fermented the wine outside their facilities, as they simply didn’t have enough space. From 2015 on, they have built a new winery in Aranda de Duero and all subsequent wines are produced there, working the traditional Ribera del Duero way, which was mixing grapes from different origins. By the way, there is a PSI Gran Reserva aged for three years in well-seasoned barrels in the pipeline, of which I also tasted a barrel sample from 2013 that blew me away. Stay tuned! – LG, Feb 2017
  • 2013: 96
    • I tasted the 2013 Pingus one week before the wine was to be bottled, but one never knows. I tasted the 2012 under the same circumstances last year, and after my tasting, Peter Sisseck decided the wine needed some more time, so the élevage was extended and the bottling delayed. I was told this should be very close to the bottled version. The nose is aromatic, expressive and open, quite perfumed and subtle, with no traces of oak (the wine now ages in used barriques); even the spices are very much in the background. The Pingus vineyards behaved quite well in a difficult vintage, as great vineyards are a lot more homogeneous, so the vines are very balanced: the two vineyards used forPingus, San Cristobal and Barroso, were planted in 1929 with two different massale selections. The palate is also approachable and gentle, with very good acidity and very fine tannins, elegance and character. I think there will be very few (or none!) wines in Ribera in 2013 like this Pingus. Well done! Three weeks later, I received an email letting me know that the wine had been bottled, so I proceeded to taste the bottle version, which showed what the sample promised. 2013 will be a vintage, that in Ribera del Duero, will show the differences of the work in the vineyards and what they do at Pingusclearly paid off. Even after the recent operation, the wine is harmonious and feels very balanced; there is no dizziness and it keeps the poise. A real triumph for the vintage. 6,600 bottles were filled at the end of July 2015.
    • I visited Pingus (its two main vineyards, Barroso and San Cristobal) and tasted some lots of the extremely promising 2014 form barrel. I want to refrain myself from scoring such young wines as it should have some 16-20 more months in barrel, but it looks like a fantastic vintage that owner and winemaker Peter Sisseck compares to 1995, and thinks needs a long élevage. The key to 2014 was if you could harvest early, because there was rain later on. They had a problem of hail in the vineyards and thought they had lost the harvest, but they were able to recover from it and harvested some 15 barrels, when a normal year sees some 22. Anyway, I tasted 2012 in bottle; 2013 just before bottling (and a few weeks later a bottled sample); and a bottle of the first vintage, 1995, a wine that still feels young and has plenty of power, with developed aromas of tapenade and violets. 2012 represents the best wine Peter Sisseck has ever made (so far). Bravo! – LG, Oct 2015
  • 2012: 100
    • I finally tasted the 2012 Pingus in bottle, a wine I sampled last year before bottling, and even if it was the final blend, all of a sudden proprietor Peter Sisseck decided to delay the bottling. He cannot really explain the reason why; it was really a hunch, something he felt and he thinks the decision was right. The good news is that the wine delivers all that it promised before bottling. There are plenty of floral notes, violets, even lilies; it’s extremely aromatic, subtle and precise with just some Indian spices in the background to give it an exotic character. With time in the glass, there are some earthy, mineral (even diesel-like?) aromas. It has a rare combination of power and finesse, concentrated but delicate, with buttery, ultra-refined tannins, great balance, acidity, length and a silky texture, not easy to find in Ribera del Duero. This could very well be the best Pingus ever, in the style of 1996, a year of elegance and good acidity, more Burgundian/Atlantic (Peter Sisseck does not agree with the term Burgundian applied to Ribera del Duero) than the average. This wine has the conjunction of their knowledge and the improvements in the vineyards. This is stunning, simply perfect. It has all the components to age for 20+ years. 6,000 bottles were finally filled the first week of September 2014. As I explained last time, 2012 represents a big change in Pingus with 0% new oak used for its upbringing. – LG, Oct 2015
  • 2011: 95
    • As with all the 2011s, the 2011 Pingus is riper, with never-seen-before alcohol levels (15.5%), but the wine feels extremely balanced. As usual, the highly-selected grapes were fermented in 2,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and aged for 22 months in second-and third-fill barrels. It is ripe and exuberant, with notes of violets, spices (curry!), smoky peat and umami-like meat-broth aromas. The palate is full-bodied, glyceric with sophisticated tannins, but plenty of them, so they need to calm down a little. I believe there will be a lot of people who will really love this 2011, it’s showy and exuberant. 6,000 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2020. I had a relaxed and superb tasting with Peter Sisseck, where we had time to discuss the wines and Ribera del Duero in general as Sisseck is now part of the Consejo Regulador. It was also a great learning experience as he showed me some experimental wines that resulted in adjustments from the 2012 vintage onward, and a big jump in precision for the wines, with the yet unbottled 2012 Pingus verging on perfection. He explained the range of wines he produces as it follows: PSI is the regional wine, Flor de Pingus is the village, and Pingus is the Cru. PSI is the newer wine in the lineup and the one that might require more explanation. In 2007, a difficult vintage in Ribera del Duero, he lost quite a lot of grapes for Flor de Pingus because of a big hailstorm, so he had to look for grapes he could purchase. He then realized how much Ribera had grown: from 6,000 hectares in 1985 to 9,000 hectares in 1990 and more than 22,000 hectares today! There is a big surplus of grapes, so the grapes from old vineyards are not valued. He decided that he wanted to support the people who were keeping their old vineyards and not ripping them up, or going to younger vines and high yields. He purchased their grapes, paid a fair price and produced PSI with them. Besides tasting extensively and slowly, I retasted 2010 Pingus and I also had the chance to preview the 2013 Pingus (clean, pure, with great acidity, but still too young) plus some experimental cuvees, some of which might see the light in the future. They have never produced better wines at Pingus. Bravo!
  • 2010: 96
    • The 2010 Pingus is still a puppy, starting off with plenty of roasted notes, with a mix of lactic and dried fruit aromas and the telltale aroma of great French barrels in the shape of smoky peat, which will surely integrate with some time in bottle. The grapes were picked relatively late, on October 18 and 19, going back to the traditional harvesting dates of yesteryear. With some air, it reveals a mix of red and black fruits, a hint of smoke and even a whiff of raw meat. The palate is super-balanced, giving the feeling that magnificent tannin management work has been done here, resulting in a very polished texture that is more northern Rhone than Bordeaux, with some minerality. A streak of acidity makes it more precise. It has the balance and stuffing to age gracefully and slowly. Over all it feels fresher and more delineated than 2009, making 2010 a vintage along the lines of 2008 (a particular favorite of mine) and 1998. Give it time and air if you plan on drinking it soon. 7,000 bottles were produced. Drink 2016-2030. As much as I love the style of the 2010, I still believe the 2009 has more stuffing and will be the better wine in the long run.
    • I believe it’s important to guide readers to select the wines they are going to like the most, and in the case of multiple vintages of the same wine, getting the information through about the style of the year and what the differences between the wines are seems vital. Generally speaking, both 2009 and 2010 were very good vintages for Ribera del Duero, but they are stylistically different. Sisseck makes the comparison between 2009-2010 and 1995-1996, with 2009 and 1995 producing powerful wines, and 2010 and 1996 a little colder, giving wines with more acidity and finesse. It will be fascinating to follow the evolution of the two vintages. The yields are very low in both years, around 11 hectolitres/hectare, and the vinification and upbringing of the wine pretty similar: the whole grapes are fermented in 2,000 litre oak foudres, malolactic was carried out in French oak barriques where the wine was aged for 22 months. – LG, Aug 2014
  • 2009: 97
    • The 2009 Pingus was released last year, but it should still be pretty available. It was harvested on October 5 and 6 under perfect conditions. It is a powerful and concentrated vintage for Pingus. I’m amazed at how much the wine integrated with one extra year in the bottle – the aromas are more precise, starting to reveal the true personality of the wine. The nose is very perfumed and balsamic, with notes of violets and ripe, juicy fruit, quite high-pitched. The oak is well-integrated into the wine.The palate is very powerful, full-bodied, concentrated but balanced, and wearing its 14.5% alcohol lightly, in a very difficult combination of power and elegance, with abundant but silky tannins. Very long aftertaste. 5,600 bottles were produced. Drink: 2015-2035. – LG, Jun 2013
  • 2008: 99
    • The 2008 Pingus had just been bottled when I tasted it. Deep purple in color, it sports a splendid aromatic array of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, incense, lavender, and black cherry. On the palate it exhibits outstanding volume, intense fruit, power combined with elegance, and a long, smooth finish. It is a complete, virtually seamless wine that might one day achieve perfection. Give it 5-7 years of cellaring and drink it from 2016 to 2033.
    • Dominio de Pingus is located in the La Horra region of Ribera del Duero. Owner/winemaker, Peter Sisseck, an oenologist originally from Denmark, started the estate in 1995. There are currently 3 wines produced, Flor de Pingus, a single barrel cuvee called Amelia which began in 2003, and the flagshipPingus. In a normal vintage there are usually about 4000 cases of Flor de Pingus, 500 cases ofPingus, and 25 cases of Amelia. Flor de Pingus is sourced from a number of small parcels located in the La Horra zone. The vines are all over 35 years of age and have been farmed biodynamically since 2005.They are either owned or rented by Peter Sisseck, so Flor de Pingus always comes from the same pieces of ground. In that sense it is not a second wine but there is no question that is a very close approximation of Pingus at a fraction of the price. That makes it a relative bargain in the scheme of things. The wine is 100% Tempranillo typically aged for 14 months in new French barriques. The first vintage of Pingus was in 1995. The estate has been biodynamically farmed since 2000 and, according to Sisseck, has never been treated with fertilizer or pesticides. The Pingus vines are all at least 65 years of age and yields are typically under 1 ton per acre. The wines, made from 100% Tempranillo, are bottled without fining or filtration. – JM, Jun 2010
  • 2007: 98
    • Vintage conditions required a stricter selection for the 2007 Pingus. The aromatics are more brooding but seriously multifaceted. Smoke, pencil lead, truffle, Asian spices, blackberry, and licorice notes are followed by a chewy, dense, rich, powerful wine with fully integrated oak, savory black fruits, ripe tannins, and a decade of aging potential. Drink it from 2020 to 2037 if not longer. – JM, Jun 2010
  • 2006: 98
    • The 2006 Pingus is a spectacular effort. A glass-staining saturated opaque purple, it delivers an other-worldly perfume of smoke, lavender, mineral, scorched earth, and an amalgam of kinky black fruits. Voluptuous on the palate in a measured way, it has superb balance, layered, complex flavors, ripe tannin that is entirely covered by the fruit, and a decade of aging potential. This monumental wine will evolve effortlessly for 10-15 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2036. – JM, Jun 2010
  • 2005: 99
    • The 2005 Pingus is the most powerful of this series (power being a major characteristic of the top 2005s in the DO). It offers up a perfume beginning to develop some complexity, terrific volume and richness on the palate, and a lengthy, pure finish. This is a great wine that should have a 40 year lifespan. – JM, Jun 2010
  • 2004: 100
    • In the wonderful 2004 vintage, owner/winemaker Peter Sisseck has outdone himself. The 2004 Pinguscomes from 100% estate vineyards, biodynamically farmed. It is 100% Tempranillo and is aged 18 months in new French oak. It offers more of everything from its splendid nose of cedar, smoke, charcoal, blackberry, and blueberry to its thick, super-concentrated, and layered mid-palate. The tannins are totally concealed and the pure finish is remarkably long. The wine deserves at least a decade of cellaring and should drink beautifully for 25 years thereafter. – JM, Feb 2007
  • 2003: (96-100)
    • A candidate for perfection, the profound 2003 Pingus possesses an awesome smoky, blackberry, and cassis-scented nose intermixed with hints of espresso roast, lead pencil shavings, cedar, and subtle new oak. Sensational concentration, a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, alcohol, and wood, and a blockbuster finish lasting nearly a minute result in one of the most profound wines ever made in Spain. It should age effortlessly for two decades or more. A limited cuvee, named after the importer’s daughter, the 2003 Amelia, is produced from 100-year old vines. Although there are only 25 cases available, it is worth noting as it is a super effort boasting all the same characteristics as the great Pingus, only lacking that wine’s extra nuances and dimensions in its bouquet and flavor profiles. These are the wines of a true genius! Kudos to Peter Sisseck. – RP, Jun 2005
  • 2002: Not Produced
    • “Pingus” was not produced in this vintage. The second wine, “Flor de Pingus” was produced. 
    • 2002 Flor de Pingus, Vinous Review, 92 points: Bright medium ruby. Black raspberry, tar, violet and roasted oak on the nose. Thick, velvety and wonderfully sweet, with compelling inner-mouth perfume and sap. Large-scaled, broad wine with superb palate coverage. Finishes with big, chocolatey tannins and excellent length. Peter Sisseck will not offer his grand vin Pingus in 2002; that juice forms the backbone of Flor de Pingus, making this a wine to buy. – Stephen Tanzer,  Sep 2004
    • Vinous: 2002 was an all-around grim vintage marked by rain, rot and more rain and one of the worst in modern times. Avoid.
    • Jancis Robinson: Exceptionally cold winter and spring was followed by nasty wet weather during summer – disastrous for both quality and quantity. Rain persisted even during harvest. Truly a severe test for both regions.
  • 2001: 95
    • The opaque ruby/purple-colored, firmly-structured 2001 Pingus is more closed and backward than the extravagantly rich, flamboyant 2000. It offers great fruit on the attack along with huge body, and notes of grilled meats intermixed with Provencal herbs, pepper, spice box, cigar smoke, and copious quantities of barbecue smoke-infused blackberry and cassis flavors. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2028. – RMP, Apr 2004
  • 2000: 96
    • A freak, the 2000 Pingus is an exaggerated, extravagantly rich effort boasting an inky/purple color along with a sumptuous perfume of beef blood, lavender, Provencal herbs, ground pepper, melted licorice, and oodles of blackberry and creme de cassis-like fruit. Full-bodied, powerful, rich, and smoky, with great intensity, and an unctuously-textured, full-throttle finish, it should drink well for 15-20 years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. – RMP, Apr 2004
  • 1999: 98
    • Readers can look forward to a spectacular, nearly perfect 1999 Pingus. It boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, sensational extract, gorgeous concentration, and spectacularly intense blackberry and cherry aromas and flavors infused with incense, coffee, chocolate, and toasty new oak. Enormous levels of extract and richness are accompanied by a full-bodied, glycerin-imbued, thick, viscous finish. The tannin is nearly hidden by the wine’s wealth of fruit and concentration. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025. – RP, Apr 2001
  • 1998: 88
    • The 1998 Pingus has evolved an intriguing, almost animally bouquet with touches of leather, espresso, melted tar and dark chocolate. Interestingly, it seems more mature when compared to the 1995. There is a sweet, sappy entry on the palate with an almost vitamin-like purity. However, there is a sense of monotony towards the finish, like a violinist refusing to move his fingers down the frets. It is pleasurable, but it does not really go anywhere, rending the finish a little static. Drink now-2018+. – NM, Aug 2012
  • 1997: 87
    • The 1997 Pingus displayed the same herbaceous note that was noted in its youth by Robert Parker and with age it is simply part of a rather dour bouquet that lacks the joie-de-vivre one finds on other vintages. The palate is nothing to really be ashamed of, but it lacks excitement and ambition. If I had any bottles in my cellar, I would enjoy what you get out of them now, as I suspect they are best their best. Drink now. – NM, Aug 2012
  • 1996: 96
    • The 1996 Pingus is an astonishing wine that continues to put on weight and add more nuances to its multidimensional personality. The explosive aromatics consist of smoke, jammy blackberry and currant fruit, incense, licorice, cedar, and pain grille. Massive in the mouth, with a sumptuous texture, immense body, high levels of glycerin, and a multilayered mid-palate, this spectacular wine is evolved and accessible. Anticipated maturity: now-2018. – RP, Apr 1999
  • 1995: 98
    • The 1995 Dominico de Pingus exhibits an opaque purple color, an extraordinary sweet nose of black fruits, truffles, and nicely-integrated, subtle pain grille. The wine is massive, huge, and full-bodied, with layers of concentrated, pure fruit, loads of glycerin, and beautifully sweet tannin. Although one would think it would taste Bordeaux-like, it has its own individual style that falls somewhere between St.-Emilion’s Valandraud, Pesquera’s Janus, and Vega Sicilia’s Unico! The 1995 will age effortlessly for 25-30+ years. The lucky few who are able to latch onto a bottle or two should be prepared to cellar it for 4-6 years. This is a brilliant winemaking effort! Bravo to proprietor Peter Sisseck for these extraordinary Spanish wines! In issue #106 (8-31-96) I broke the story about the extraordinary Dominico de Pingus produced by the young Danish winemaker, Peter Sisseck (Pingus is Danish slang for Peter, as well as the name of a well-known European cartoon). I tasted the 1995 Dominico dePingus immediately before bottling (it will not be filtered), and it is an extraordinary wine. Sadly, only 325 cases were produced, and only 350 cases in 1996. Made from 60+ year old Tempranillo vines planted in the heart of Ribera del Duero, these wines are produced from yields of under 1/2 ton of fruit per acre, or about 1.1 pounds of fruit per vine. Malolactic fermentation is done in new oak, and the wine is then aged in 100% new oak casks, with the white wine technique of batonage (lees stirring) utilized. Batonage is rarely used for red wine. The wines reviewed in this segment, tasted in September, 1997, are spectacular. – RP, Oct 1997

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