Dominio de Pingus
About Dominio de Pingus
Nestled in the La Horra appellation of Ribera del Duero, Dominio de Pingus is an estate par excellence in the region, rising to consistently challenge and often surpass the mighty Vega-Sicilia.
Founded and run by a global fine wine icon, oenologist Peter Sisseck is something of an enigma. Born in Denmark, fate and an unrelenting love for the terroir of Spain’s rugged Ribera del Duero led the masterful vigneron to establish what has become a truly legendary estate in 1995. Rising further into the stratosphere than perhaps even Sisseck anticipated, given the relatively unknown nature of Ribera del Duero at the time (Vega-Sicilia aside of course), Pingus has transcended boundaries and oceans to be considered an equal of the grandest names of Bordeaux, the rarest crus of Burgundy and the smallest cult labels of Napa.
Viniculture
There are currently 3 wines produced by the estate: Flor de Pingus, a single barrel cuvée called Amelia (which began in 2003), and the flagship Pingus. In a normal vintage, there are usually about 4,000 cases of Flor de Pingus, 500 cases of Pingus and just 25 cases of Amelia. The vines are all over 35 years of age and have been farmed biodynamically since 2005.
The first vintage of Pingus was in 1995. The vines producing this fantastic wine are all at least 65 years of age and yields are typically under 1 ton per acre. The wine is 100% Tempranillo and is bottled without fining or filtration.
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Wine Advocate (100)
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.HK$19,240.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
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.HK$46,880.00 -
Decanter (96)
In the shadow of Pingus? Only, perhaps, if you taste it after the grand vin, because Flor de Pingus is another haute-couture masterpiece in its own right, again with that highly polished tannic texture and layers of dark but succulent and perfectly ripe mulberry fruit, suggestions of something darker and savoury emerging, but for now this is just a gloriously sensual young wine with a pronounced sense of place. Biodynamic.HK$9,655.00