The 2014 Flor De Pingus is very aromatic and expressive, floral and spicy, with the oak nicely folded into the fruit, which is ripe without excess, and the alcohol is also nicely disguised, as it's high but does not show. It's a powerful and full-bodied vintage for this cuvée, but keeping its approachability and appeal. The tannins are very fine and the finish quite remarkable. A mini-Pingus at a very different price.
95 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING
94 POINTS WINE ADVOCATE
94 POINTS VINOUS
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.
From the beginning, Peter intended to express his vision through two wines, Pingus and Flor de Pingus, though Flor took more time to fulfil its destiny. The first vintage, 1995, was almost entirely lost when a container ship carrying it sank in the North Atlantic in 1998. The second vintage, 1996, did survive, becoming something of a legend, but no Flor was produced in 1997 or 1998. And for 1999 Flor, Peter had to rely on a mixture of both young and old vines.
But Peter wanted Flor to feature more old-vine fruit from great terroirs. Assembling those vineyards would take time and money. And it would take even more time to convert the vineyards to the same biodynamic agriculture that has made such a difference for Pingus.
Today, we are witness to a coming of age for this increasingly important wine. Peter has refined the selection of vineyards used for Flor. He has even replanted some key parcels with a massale selection from his best, old-clone parcels. In the cellar, he ferments and macerates the largely old-vine fruit with native yeasts and up to 40% whole clusters for two to three weeks. After malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is racked into mostly used barrels where it is left alone to develop its evocative expression to Tempranillo and terroir.
It is no wonder The Wine Advocate has written of Flor de Pingus: “In the price/quality sweepstakes, this might be Spain’s finest wine.”
Maturation: In the cellar, he ferments and macerates the largely old-vine fruit with native yeasts and up to 40% whole clusters for two to three weeks. After malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is racked into mostly used barrels where it is left alone to develop its evocative expression to Tempranillo and terroir.
