Dominio de Pingus 2020 'Flor de Pingus' Ribera Del Duero DO

Dominio de Pingus 2020 'Flor de Pingus' Ribera Del Duero DO

Item Number: 18279

UPC: None

Country: Spain
Region: Castilla y Leon
Sub Region: Ribera del Duero
Appellation/AVA: Ribera del Duero DO
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2020
Grape(s): 100% Tempranillo
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 14
Viticulture: Practicing Biodynamic
Soil Type: Limestone-rich clay and gravel

About Flor: Soon after its first vintage in 1995, Peter Sisseck’s Pingus joined the ranks of the world’s most coveted wines. But because of its tiny production—and correspondingly high price—few get the chance to experience Pingus’ magic firsthand. Fortunately, Peter makes a Ribera del Duero cut from the very same cloth. It’s name is Flor de Pingus. 

From the beginning, Peter intended to express his vision through two wines, Pingus and Flor de Pingus, though Flor took more time to fulfill 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 massal selection from his best, old-clone parcels. 

Winemaking Notes: In the cellar, Peter treats Flor much as he does his elite wines. He ferments and macerates the largely old-vine fruit with native yeast 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 for 18 months. 

Fruit Source: 31 hectares from the La Horra zone; most vines are over 50 years old 
Aging: 18 months in a mix of 2/3 old and 1/3 new barrels 
Fining: No 
Filtering: No 
Yeast: Native

Reviews

  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 94+ (1/31/2023)
    There is around 20% new oak in the 2020 Flor de Pingus, and because it has a little younger vines (there was a land-consolidation project in La Horra in 2006!), there'll be some Garnacha starting in 2021 and maybe some oak vats for aging too. All this shows the direction, where he found structure and volume in the palate, with textured tannins. It's harmonious and elegant, aromatic and floral, perfumed and showy, with contained ripeness and around 14% alcohol. The palate is quite powerful, with abundant but fine tannins.
  • The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 92 (3/31/2023)
    Plush in texture and elegant overall, with a fresh spine of acidity enlivening black plum reduction and crushed black cherry fruit, violet and tobacco, vanilla and mineral accents as they wrap around a firm core of fine-grained tannins.