Winemaker Notes
Pingus is time after time the standard bearer of their project. It has reached a level of perfection in vine husbandry that allow them, year after year to produce something outstanding.
This 2021 is no exception. Deeply colored but not black with beautiful sparks of ruby. A really deep nose of ripe fruit, Pingus is always more blue than red fruit, so it is extra important that is always on the fresh side. It must never get too jammy or heavy this is one of the real challenges making wine in these warm years. A great mouth with the texture of what i call 3D tannins, this crazy balance between a relatively high pH and quite rich tannins. This is the hallmark of great Tinto Fino from Ribera del Duero. And in 2021 they hit it spot on. Not to talk about the length that carries the wine back and lingers. This is like a replay of the great 2000 Pingus.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Violets, flint, graphite, dark chocolate, ink pot, and hints of herbs such as tarragon. Black truffles. Tar and hints of sandalwood. Black tea. Medium-bodied with very linear tannins that are tight and polished with fine silky texture. It’s endless and seamless. Profound and deep. Super structure and balance. This needs six or eight years of bottle age at least. Try after 2032.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sisseck believes the texture of the 2021 Pingus is the finest he has achieved since the beginning and something that the Tempranillo does very well. There is a chalky feeling, which is not surprising, because the mother rock is pure limestone—even if some plots (Barroso) have more clay on top, deeper down is hard limestone and some sandstone. There is a sense of harmony and purity that I see in most of the 2021s. There's more depth, more concentration and more tannin here, and it's a wine for the very long haul; it's very, very young, but it's super harmonious and balanced. There's energy, clout and power but with great finesse. They have learned to control the extraction, and all of the grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts (each plot ferments on its own, there's no pied de cuve or anything); they are very careful to decide the moment they press, tasting a lot with a lot of precision, getting samples and sitting down to taste every day after the wine has fermented dry.
-
Vinous
The 2021 Pingus is a 100% Tempranillo sourced from selected four-hectare parcels with clay/lime soils in a vineyard planted in 1929 in La Horra, Ribera del Duero and was aged for 20 months in French oak barrels. Garnet-red in the glass with a purple sheen. The nuanced nose presents subtle but enticing notes of sour cherry and violets. However, its real character comes out in the mouth: a combination of velvety and chalky textures, effervescent energy and a nimble flow before a long-lasting, flavorful finish. This complex Ribera del Duero red lives up to its reputation with its unique palate and lean but velvety balance. What a delightful, distinctive interpretation of the region.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Ribera del Duero, Spanish wine region, is located in northen Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive from Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back more than 2000 years, it was in the 1980s that 9 wineries applied for and were granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Notable Facts Ribera’s main grape variety, Tempranillo, locally know as Tinto Fino, is perfectly suited to the extreme climate of the region, where it must survive scorching summers and frigid winters. Low yields resulting from conscientious tending to old vines planted in Ribera’s diverse soils types, give Ribera wines a distinctive depth and complexity not found in other Tempranillos. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.