The colour is deep ruby. On the nose plums, cranberries and mocha. In the mouth elegant and well balanced. The aftertaste is shorter than you would expect.
Pingus is a Tempranillo varietal wine made by Peter Sisseck, a Danish winemaker, who began his Spanish wine career in 1991 at Hacienda Monasterio, where he still works as a senior oenologist.
Dominio de Pingus was founded in 1995 in Quintanilla de Onésimo in Valladolid province with vineyards in La Horra area of the Ribera del Duero region. The vines are very old and cultivated according to biodynamics principles.
When I visited the region in 2015, I went a long way to figure out where the winery is located and “steal” a picture through the windows.
Pingus brought Sissek fame and honour from the first vintage in 1995. On the one hand it attracted the attention of Parker’s Wine Advocate, who wrote enthusiastic reviews. On the other hand, the ship with the cargo for the US market sank. This event additionally narrowed the small supply, pushed the price up from the initial 200 USD to 500 USD a bottle, and made Pingus a mythical wine right from the start. Nowadays the annual production of Pingus is around 6’000 bottles.
Since 1999 a second wine called Flor de Pingus is also produced. The grapes come from other fields than those used to make Pingus. The production is around 60’000 bottles a year.
This bottle sells at OTTO’S for 749 CHF.
Country: Spain
Region: Ribera del Duero
Grapes: Tempranillo
Type: Red
Vintage: 2013
Producer: Dominio de Pingus
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5