Dominio de Pingus - Ribera del Duero 'PSI' 2023

Pingus is produced by the visionary Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck. Peter arrived in Spain in 1993 to manage a new project, Hacienda Monasterio. While planting and developing Monasterio, he began to dream about the old vines he saw dotted around the Ribera del Duero landscape. By the 1995 vintage, Peter had found a group of old vines that spurred him to embark on his own project. He called it “Pingus,” after his childhood nickname.

With Pingus, Peter’s vision was to push Tempranillo to its upper limits. He spent the first few years pruning his vines back to a healthy balance—the trunks were straightened, lowered, and canes were pruned back to 1-2 buds per cane. Yields have typically been under one ton per acre.

Over the past decades, Peter has continually refined his original vision. Since 2001, he has employed biodynamic viticulture to capture a healthier balance in his vineyards. In the winery, he has made subtle changes aimed at taming the region’s natural power and giving more delineation and depth to the Pingus voice.

Pingus is fermented in large wooden vats and, once in cask, is mostly left alone. While early vintages employed a high proportion of new barrique for aging, Peter has decreased that amount over time to the point where top vintages see no new wood whatsoever.

“Tasted just before bottling, so a sample of the final blend, the 2023 PSI is juicy, ripe and approachable. It is a little showier and headier, despite having similar alcohol to the bottled 2022 (perhaps a tad higher, but not quite reaching 14%), and it feels a little riper, with peachy notes and some decayed flowers.” - 94 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The 2023 PSI brings together fruit from 12 villages, mostly Gumiel de Mercado and Villatuelda in the Soria sector of Ribera del Duero. The project began in 2007 with the recovery of neglected vineyards, now totaling 200 hectares across about 700 parcels, 25% of which are estate-owned. Garnet colored, it opens with pine and herbal notes, then red fruit—cherry and a touch of plum. The palate shows fine-grained tannins, a midweight texture and detailed fruit. The bottle will reveal the Soria character in the interplay of fine tannins and acidity.” - 94 Points, Vinous 

Producer: Dominio de Pingus

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Varietal: Tempranillo, Grenache

Appellation: Ribera del Duero

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml