Pingus is based on two clos vineyards of great age and perfect natural balance, pretty much adjacent to one another affect an ‘estate’ of 4.5 hectares just sout-west of La Horra on the way to Roa. ‘Barroso’ is old gravel-sands over silt and calcareous bedrock near the Duero, and higher up ‘San Cristobal’ is a south-west facing clay slope. Peter actually treats them as five separate parcels made in 5 old wood Tinas (2000 litre foudre), then aged as per Flor. One of these, ‘Amelia’ is a small ungrafted section of San Cristobal (otherwise on Riparia rootstocks) which yields a single barrel. Barroso yields deeper, lighter, long and finesseful fruit, compared to the fuller-blockier fruit from the gravelsilt slope of San Cristobal, planted around 1910 (the rest were planted in 1929).

Around 500 dozen are produced. Part of the fruit is de-stemmed by hand and goes through an individual berry selection; some of the fruit is selected for a version of whole-bunch fermentation, whereby exemplary parts of the bunch are selected and cut for fermentation with stems. The natural yeast fermentations are cultures selected from the two Pingus vineyards and then inoculated across all fermentations.

Masculine and serious, tight and deep, with satsuma plum and black cherry jubey fruits. Inky and layered, meaty and tannic. Rich, tight, focused palate, restrained power and great balance, fine long expansive tannins glinting with deep-set minerality.

99 Points - Robert Parker

The bottled 2020 Pingus has settled, and the strong Mediterranean accent that was quite strong early on seems to have calmed down. The wine shows more of the serious Pingus character and is harmonious, balanced and elegant, perhaps because of the time it spent in oak vat (starting this year, it is not only in barrique). It feels very complete and intense but without weight or heaviness, and the fruit shows very clean and focused. Peter Sisseck compared it with the 2000, a wine that for him transcends the vintage; it showcases the balance (wines like 1996, 2000, 2012, 2016 and 2018). The quality of the tannins is stunning, which make the wine very elegant and balanced, and it has good freshness (even some red fruit!). This is exceptionally good.