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Dominio de Pingus
We were first introduced to Danish-born Peter Sisseck, the creator of Flor de Pingus and Pingus by his uncle, our great friend Peter-Vinding-Diers. Nephew Peter, who had cut his teeth in Bordeaux, was dispatched to Ribera del Duero in northern Spain to embark on a new project, Hacienda Monasterio, a wine which reached stellar quality from the outset, helping to place Ribera del Duero on the world stage.
Peter tends however always to be seeking new challenges. Having established Monasterio, he set his sights on a wonderful, single plot of ancient vines he had discovered, planted on gravel loam. Thus was created Pingus, now acknowledged as one of Spain and the world's greatest wines.
As Pingus soared to worldwide acclaim, its tiny production was insufficient to keep the agile mind and energy of Peter fully occupied. Soon he was looking for further parcels, eager to produce a quite different style albeit bearing the Peter Sisseck hallmark. Thus, in time, another very great wine in its own right, Flor de Pingus was born.
The Vineyards
All of the vineyards are planted at 800m above sea level thus benefiting from cool nights as well as a large swing in temperature between night and day. This both makes for complexity and ensures freshness. The average age of gnarled old vines at Pingus is 70 years, planted with 3000 plants per hectare. Flor de Pingus clocks in at a very respectable 35 years, with the younger vines planted at between 6000 and 10000 vines per hectare. This competition ensures that the vines' roots travel deep into the soil and this, in turn adds complexity.
The vineyards have been farmed organically from the outset and at Pingus he now exercises biodynamic principles.
The Winemaking
Grapes are hand-picked and sorted. 1/3 are left whole, 1/3 are destalked but not crushed and 1/3 are destalked and crushed. Fermentation occurs in small open tanks and the wine is then transferred to new oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. Maturation is in new French oak for 18-20 months, with 30% of the wine then racked in to more new wood for a further few months - a hugely expensive operation but the results are outstanding. No fining or filtration before bottling.
The Wines
Pingus is undoubtedly world-class and helped to confirm the Ribera del Duero as a match to any of the traditional European appellations. Peter's Bordeaux training does not go unnoticed in the wine, but this is nevertheless distinctly Spanish. It is always densely coloured, with a wonderfully perfumed, almost exotic nose and intensely layered palate.
Often mistaken as the second wine of Pingus, Flor is actually a vineyard in its own right. More approachable than Pingus from an early age, it is rich and intense with dark fruits and a heady perfume.
The Holdings
Pingus
