2016 dominio de pingus, ribera del duero, pingus
Why We're Buying
Pingus is the epitome of a cult wine. Domino de Pingus releases bottles in extremely limited quantities, with the average price tag eclipsing $1,000. Consistent critical praise has only bolstered demand for this tempranillo, with wine critic Robert Parker calling the first vintage "one of the greatest and most exciting wines I have ever tasted." It doesn't hurt that Pingus also returned 12.6 on investment in 2020.
Critics Scores
James Suckling
Chalky and intense with so much blackberry character. Some smoke, too. Full body. Firm and chewy with lots of fruit, but a tight and linear finish. Chewy and intense. Needs a year or two to open, but already a joy. Better after 2021.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I also tasted the unbottled 2016 Flor de Pingus before, so a revisit now, some 15 months after it was bottled, was due. There is great freshness in these 2016s, with a character that reminded me of orange peel, citrus and floral. There is great balance in the palate, and the tannins are velvety within the faintly rustic character of the zone; keeping the style of the zone, that texture is what Peter Sisseck calls "three-dimensional" tannins—very clean and focused, long and tasty and ending with great freshness. They were able to harvest early with proper ripeness and tons of freshness; in fact, that year they finished harvesting when some had not even started in the zone... In the future, they will include some Garnacha in the blend of Flor de Pingus (starting with 2018 with a very small percentage), as they have planted some vines selected from old vineyards in the region.