Pingus Maestro Strikes a Minor Note: 93 pt. Ribera del Duero Masterpiece
Posted on: 09/27/18 12:01 PM
Some wines are just out of reach. I don’t think many of you are regularly accompanying a roast joint of meat with a tall glass of Peter Sisseck’s monumental and world class Pingus, an icon not only of Spanish wine, but throughout the world. All the better that such talented geniuses as Peter Sisseck also make humbler, more accessible wines like PSI, his “entry level” Ribera del Duero. The rest of us get some idea of what is going on at such exalted and rarified addresses.
But 2016 is different. For one, it is the highest rated PSI ever. Moreover, it has finally started realizing the promise and vision Sisseck had always intended for this projected. According to the media, 2016 is “the PSI [he] always dreamed about.”
Yes, you want a case.
2016 Pingus PSI Ribera del Duero
92-93 pts.: “I tasted the 2015 in bottle and the 2016 PSI a few weeks before bottling, so I tasted the final blend in tank and ready to go into bottle. What came to mind when I smelled this sample was some of the old vintages of Pesquera. All the grapes come from the north and east of Aranda del Duero, from the cooler part of the appellation. The logistics of doing this volume is not easy, and in 2016 they were able to ferment 100% of the volume in their own winery, which gave them more control. The year was naturally fresher, mostly through higher yields, and they also managed the harvest date with more precision. All this translates into a fresher wine with more precision and elegance. They expect to reach 300,000 bottles of this 2016, which is also probably the finest vintage of PSI—finer, longer and sharply focused. According to Sisseck, this is the PSI he always dreamed about. It will be bottled in the summer of 2018.” Wine Advocate
More about the Wine:
Good Ribera del Duero can be hard to find. The category has a lot of different expressions, styles and terroirs. There are perfectly delicious “country-wines” that offer a lot of class for a modest tariff, similar to the Torremoron we offered earlier this year. Then, again, there are world-class wines like Vega Sicilia and Pingus that command $500-$750 and sometimes much more, and ostensibly offer experiences that rival the greatest wines in the world.
The best of the rest somehow manage to show off a sense of class and breed, stylishness and suavity, and do it all for a relatively modest price. The problem is that there aren’t many of them in this vein – maybe a handful at best; today’s offer surely is among them. It doesn’t hurt that Peter Sisseck is the winemaker behind PSI. If you’re not familiar with the name, Peter Sisseck is also the man behind the $750+ Pingus.
If Pingus is his Richebourg and Fleur de Pingus is his 1er Cru, PSI is his Village wine. And it’s only $30!
Think about that. What do you think Petrus’s “entry-level” wine would cost? How about DRC’s? Vega Sicilia’s? The answer is well more than $30.
But is it any good? The simple answer is yes. If you like full bodied wines, with a real sense of complexity and depth of flavor, that manage to be both sleek and refined, without feeling overwrought or “made,” this wine’s for you. Frankly, that would describe nearly all the wine world, so I guess you should grab a box or two of this while we have it!
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