Ribera del Duero 'PSI' Dominio di Pingus 2021

Bodegas y Vinedos Alnardo

Dominio de Pingus is the project of Bordeaux trained Peter Sisseck who firmly believed Ribera del Duero, still unknown in the 1990s, had great potential for winemaking. Peter searched for parcels of old vines with great exposition and encouraged local independent growers to drop chemicals, lower their yields and embrace biodynamic practices. A few years later, Cult Wine Pingus was born, putting Ribera del Duero on the map.

Named after the 23rd letter in the Greek alphabet and Peter himself, PSI expresses the soul of Ribera. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in a mix of cement vats and old French oak barrels previously used for Pingus and Flor de Pingus. Dark and full-bodied with a rich texture crammed with black cherry alongside leathery, spicy notes and lacy minerality.

Delivery
Items are expected to be delivered within 4 weeks
Producer
Bodegas y Vinedos Alnardo
Region
Ribera Del Duero
Variety
Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache)
Reviews

Vinous 96 Points, James Suckling 94 Points, Robert Parker 94 Points

Bottle Format: 75cl

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Variant
Status
Price
Case of 12
DP
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£432
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Case of 12
IB
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£327.96
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Ratings

96 Points Vinous

The 2021 PSI is 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha sourced from old vines planted in calcareous soils and was aged for up to 16 months in mostly sizeable French oak barrels. In the glass, it's garnet-red with a light purple sheen. The nose offers blood notes along with sour cherry and blackberry, intertwined with violets and dried flowers, resulting in a layered, complex profile. On the palate, it's dry and velvety. Chalky tannins define a compact mouthfeel and long-lasting fruit and floral flavors. The 2021 is a distinctive Ribera del Duero with excellent nuance and agility.

94 Points James Suckling

Black cherries, asphalt, hedgerow, dark spices and dried Mediterranean herbs. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with dusty, effusive tannins and a vertical finish. Pristine and stripped-down. Drink or hold.

94 Points Robert Parker

A new era starts in 2021, when they got a new winemaker for PSI. The 2021 PSI—still unbottled, as it should have an élevage of 20 months—comes from a cooler year than 2020, but it was also a drier vintage and the wine has more finesse than in 2020. It develops a note of honey, beeswax and pollen—Peter thinks this comes from the wine from Gumiel de Izán (and it also happens in Quintana del Pidio), as the 2021 has a significant percentage from Gumiel de Izán. 2021 is an approachable vintage, and the wine feels very elegant. It has 14.1% alcohol, slightly higher than 2020, but even if they do not harvest looking at the alcohol, they try to avoid going over 14%. I tasted a sample from 80% oak vat and 20% in barrel, with some new barrels. This is going in the right direction. They expect to bottle some 360,000 bottles. As they harvest early, they start the élevage almost one month earlier than others, so they think the wine might be bottled in May 2023.

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Spain

Grape vines have been grown on the Iberian Peninsula since at least 3000 B.C., although it was not until 1000 B.C. that winemaking began here in earnest – a skill brought by Phoenician traders from the eastern Mediterranean. Today, Spain is home to more vines than any other country on Earth, and has a national wine output exceeded only by France and Italy.

All seventeen of Spain's administrative regions (communidades autónomas) produce wine to some extent, including the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands. The greatest concentration of vineyards is in Castilla-La Mancha, but the finest and most famous wines come from Galicia (Rias Baixas), Catalonia (Cava and Priorat), Andalucia (Sherry), Castilla y Leon (Rueda, Toro and Ribera del Duero) and of course Rioja.

Geography and climate together play a fundamental role in defining Spain's many wine styles. From cool, green Galicia and the snow-capped Pyrenees in the north, via the parched central plateau, to sandy, sunny Andalucia in the south, the Spanish landscape is very diverse. The country spans seven degrees of latitude (36°N to 43°N), leaving 500 miles (800km) between its Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

The key red-wine varieties, in order of acreage, are Tempranillo, Bobal, Garnacha and Monastrell. The leading white-wine varieties are Airen, Viura/Macabeo and Palomino and Albarino. 'International' varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are becoming more and more popular in Spain, and their plantings are rising in various Spanish regions. Along with the most popular varieties, there are regional specialties, such as Hondarrabi Zuri in the Basque Country, Marmajuelo in the Canary Islands and Zalema in Andalucia.

Ribera Del Duero

Ribera Del Duero

Ribera del Duero lies within Castilla y León in North Central Spain. Within its borders lie 4 distinct municipalities, including Burgos, Soria, Segovia and Valladolid. This wine-region is located on the elevated northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula at 800 meters (2800ft) above sea level. Ribera del Duero means "bank of the Duero", and the river indeed divides the region. It also provides the local vineyards with a much-needed water supply. The river also provides neighboring Portugal with it's premier wine region as it changes its name to Douro and flows through the eponymous valley, the home of Port and Portugal's best red table wines.

The terroir here is relatively diverse, more diverse than that of Rioja. Soil types include both chalk and clay, along with intermittent layers of silt and limestone. All of which aid in producing very fine and soft mineral flavors detectable in most wines from Ribera.

Ribera del Duero was not awarded DO status until 1982. This is despite a long history of winemaking, centered on the leading local producer, Bodegas Vega Sicilia. Today, Ribera del Duero is almost entirely devoted to red wine. Tempranillo is the most widely planted grape variety, known locally either as Tinto Fino or Tinta del Pais. It produces wines which are deeply colored, with a firm tannin structure and complex aromas of dark fruit. Most of the top examples age gracefully for years.

According to DO regulations, Tempranillo must make up a minimum of 75 percent of all vinos tintos (red wines). The balance is usually made up mostly of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. These are all varieties that were introduced by Vega Sicilia more than a century ago. Up to five percent of Albillo or Garnacha is also permitted. Garnacha is used for most rosé wines. Albillo is the only white grape with vines planted in Ribera del Duero. It produces wines for local consumption that don't qualify for the Ribera del Duero DO title. It can also be used in tiny quantities as a softener for heavy reds.

The aging requirements used for Ribera del Duero match those of the Rioja denomination. Crianza red wines must be matured for at least two years, with 12 months in oak. Reserva wines are aged for at least three years, with one in oak. Gran Reserva wines must be aged for five years before release. two of which must be spent in oak.