Flor de Pingus is one of the most well-known and highly regarded wines in all of Spain. A product of Peter Sisseck's relentless pursuit of quality, Flor de Pingus is a modern classic that has impressed critics and consumers alike since its first vintage in 1995.
How is Flor de Pingus made today?
Flor de Pingus is now again made from grapes from partially leased vineyards near the two parcels Barrosso & San Cristóbal, which give birth to Pingus itself. Today, the vines are only younger, but with vines as much as 40-60 years old, we are still talking about well-grown vines whose roots penetrate deep into the subsoil and contribute a great minerality to the wine. At the same time, the roots are so widely branched that they can draw on the winter rainfall so that stress does not occur in the dry summer months.
The wine consists of 100% old Tempranillo from some of the best sites in Ribera del Duero. Peter Sisseck is a true master of Spanish wines, and on the basis of his great work, he has garnered great international recognition, where, among others, Robert Parker from Wine Advocate annually praises both Flor de Pingus and his older brother Dominio de Pingus.
Flor de Pingus is nowhere near as super-concentrated as before, but there is still a nice concentration. The wine has a good portion of plums, violets and wild spicy herbs, which play nicely with the generous warm spices from the barrels, which also characterize the wine. The wine is both powerful and full-bodied, but at the same time brought forward by an underlying fresh, salty minerality, which pleasantly causes the tannins to slide into the background.
Flor de Pingus 2018
Flor de Pingus is back in full production in 2018 after the limited 2017 vintage when Peter Sisseck lost half the harvest due to ice early on the 28th. April. Having decided to start the harvest earlier than many others, Peter Sisseck could report that the grapes were beautifully ripe and almost perfect. Peter's firm decision was to pick the grapes between the 16 September and 8 October, which was about a week earlier than average.
Peter Sisseck is experimenting these years with a large batch of whole bunches of grapes among the slightly crushed grapes. The wine ferments for 2.000 liter oak barrels, where most is left to nature. The 2017 vintage is aged for 14 months in 30% new French casks and old French casks, which have previously been used for other Flor de Pingus vintages and then for Dominio de Pingus. The wine is then blended and bottled in June 2020 without prior clarification or filtration.
There is no doubt that Peter Sisseck's famous Danish fingerprint has helped to create a great wine, which the wine world considers perhaps the greatest young red wine.
The difference between Flor and Dominio
In many ways, Flor de Pingus is a picture of Dominio de Pingus. The quality and style differences between the two wines are smaller than what the price tag indicates. This is especially true in the first years after release, which in 2008 prompted Robert Parker, his then-husband in Spain, Jay Miller, to say that "In the price/quality sweepstakes, this might be Spain's finest wine."
The two wines are produced from the same Tempranillo vineyards in Ribera del Duero, but the Flor de Pingus grapes come from younger vines. As a result, the wines have many characteristics in common, including their intense ruby red color, floral aromas and concentrated flavors of black fruits.
Dominio de Pingus possesses ultimate intensity, and to that extent possesses Spanish temperament. Both wines benefit immensely from leaving the wine for a minimum of 10-20 years before enjoying it, so that you get the tannins in and the wine reaches its ultimate limit at the same time.
Great interest in Peter Sisseck's wines
The interest in Peter Sisseck's wines has reached somewhat new heights in the last 10 years. Advance interest assumed hysterical dimensions this year, with mage pre-ordering the wine before it even hit the market.
With Parker giving the 2018 vintage 99 points and calling it "a modern legend in the making", it's no wonder people are scrambling to get their hands on a bottle or two.
The region
The Castilla y León region is located northwest of Madrid and is Spain's most populous region. The weather is of a continental nature with large temperature fluctuations during the day and night. The area covers 9 DOs, including some of Spain's most important. Ribera del Duero and Toro are known for their red wine, which they make mainly from Tempranillo. Mencia rules in Bierzo and in Rueda they are known for their white wines, where Verdejo, Viura and Sauvignon Blanc are all grown.
District
Ribera del Duero is one of Spain's best wine regions in Castilla y Leon in the north of the country. The vineyards are located on a plateau between 500 and 900 meters above sea level, and the majority of the production is red wine. Almost all are red wines, with Tempranillo being the main style, followed by small amounts of Albillo and Garnacha. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec are also used to produce small amounts of wine.
