2023 Dominio de Pingus "PSI" Ribera del Duero

Professional Reviews

Notes

Named after winemaker Peter Sisseck’s childhood nickname, Pingus quickly caught the attention of the leading wine critics shortly after its debut in 1995. It rocketed to the top of collectors’ lists and today remains one of the most sought-after wines in Spain, if not the world, setting the bar for old vine Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) in Ribero del Duero. PSI is a relatively new project, launched in 2006 by Sisseck. Named after the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet, PSI aims to preserve old bush-vine vineyards in Ribero del Duero. In this part of Spain, growers traditionally were paid for their fruit by weight, meaning they were rewarded for producing more grapes rather than better grapes, giving them little motivation to limit yields. Opportunities to purchase these old vineyards, however, were limited, so Sisseck struck upon the idea of working directly with the farmers and paying instead by quality, rather than by weight, with incentives to further improve the quality. His team now routinely teaches pruning methods and sustainable farming methods, sourcing fruit from over 700 small plots spread across 20 villages in Ribero del Duero to create the blend for PSI.