Grape: 100% Tinto Fino Tempranillo
Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Ageing Potential: 2025-2030
Size: 750mL

Why you’ll love it?

This Spanish Tinto Fino is made by Danish born, Bordeaux trained, winemaker who rose to fame almost overnight- Peter Sisseck. In a world where wines are becoming increasingly generic, Pingus has a refreshing sense of individuality. This singularity can be polarising for some. 

When it comes to Tempranillo cuttings in Ribera many come from Rioja, so they’re not actually the local Tinto Fino. Peter’s vines are the real deal. It took him a while to locate. They are very old, they have never been fertilised nor treated with pesticides and all grow following the traditional envaso system, also known as goblet or bush vine here. Ribera’s native strain of Tempranillo is very rare and becoming more so. In 1990 there were 6000ha grown, now there’s only about 4000ha of these with the rest being replaced by new industrial plantings of Tempranillo grown on trellis. They are higher yielding, easy to grow generic clones from Rioja. 

The Flor is produced from 16 different parcels over 21ha with vines that are slightly younger at 40-70 years old. So to call it a ‘second wine’ wouldn’t be exactly correct. Each parcel is vinified separately using wild yeast, blended, aged for 16 months in French oak.

Tastes Like?

2014 is one of the best vintages of this cuvée, heralded as a ‘mini Pingus’. Powerful and full bodied, with an expressive nose and palate that will benefit from further ageing. Tannins are very fine, with slightly warm finish.

"The 2014 Flor de Pingus could very well be the finest vintage of this cuvée ever. It could be considered their 'village' wine, as all the grapes come from La Horra, from four different quarters (El Pino, Fuentearriba, Fuentenarro and Castillo); they are mostly old vines, as they have some 25 hectares of those in the village, mostly from the 1950s. In the future it will also have some grapes from younger vineyards they planted 'à l'ancien', with a massale selection of Amelia, riparia rootstocks, etc. The wine 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 Robert Parker