Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Dark cherries, ripe but fresh blueberries, slate, violets and a hint of graphite. There is lushness of fruit but it remains fresh and very primary in the middle with powdery tannins and a long, even finish. Has volume and linearity as well. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Flor de Pingus is a village wine from La Horra, made with small vinifications by plot and then a blending exercise, so it's the wine they feel is most their style. They look for texture, looking for a delicate and elegant wine. The nose is very subtle and harmonious, super clean and with a lot of focus. There are no traces of oak on the nose. The profile of the wine is more in line with 2018 or 2016 than with 2015 or 2019. This has a velvety texture, an elegant mouthfeel and some restraint (he thinks the warm summer in 2021 made the plants slow down), and it is fresher than the wine from 2020. There's a very fine thread, with chalky and very elegant tannins. This delivered what the wine promised from barrel.
Rating: 95+
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Wine Spectator
Shows a lovely counterpoint between freshness and generosity, with good energy and drive to the expressive range of plum sauce and warm fig flavors, plus accents of vanilla, cedar, leafy herbs and spices. Firm, fine-grained tannins show supple integration, emerging on the long and fragrant finish.
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.