Taste Testing Peter Sisseck's Dominio de Pingus PSI Made Of Spanish Ribera Del Duero Old Vine Tempranillo & Garnacha
What if I told you that in a country that has made wines for over 3,000 years, its most prized wine comes in fact from a Dane working out of a little garage with fruit from forgotten vineyards?
That is of course the story of one Peter Sisseck, whose Dominio de Pingus wines have become an almost overnight icon of Spanish winemaking!
The Ribera del Duero loving Dane, Peter Sisseck.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Peter didn't come from a winemaking family, although he did have a particular uncle who was doing work in Bordeaux - this was of course the legendary nomadic winemaker Peter Vinding-Diers, who had not only shaped the wines of any number of famed estates across South Africa, France, Hungary and Italy, but was also a bonafide yeast expert and is even often credited as the man who made Semillon a key part of the Bordeaux white blend, whilst also helping to revive the Hungarian tradition of making sweet Tokaji wines post-Communism. This connection to the wine world saw Peter regularly visiting his uncle at Bordeaux estates, before eventually having Peter work under his famed uncle at Graves' Chateau Rahoul for a year and a half in 1983. By this time, Peter was convinced of the winemaking life, and would thus pursue formal studies in agriculture at the University of Bordeaux upon completing his education in Copenhagen, graduating as an agricultural engineer. With his academic experiences in tow, Peter would apply to the famed Californian Ridge Vineyards, having wanted to work under the legendary Paul Draper.
The legendary Peter Vinding-Diers, with whom Peter Sisseck shares the same multitudes.
Yet, as fate would have it, his uncle would have other plans for young Peter. As it turns out, Vinding-Diers had been curious about the then still relatively obscure Ribera del Duero, drawing him to explore the harsh northwestern Spanish terrain, during which he had been approached by several friends who had just purchased the Sherry bodega Bobadilla in a deal that had come with a small parcel of land that was to turned into a winery - the plot was near the famed Vega Sicilia and Vinding-Diers was asked to help run the would-be winery. And so whilst Vinding-Diers would help get the vineyard off the ground, planting its first vineyards in 1989, he was well aware that his attention was still greatly required over in Bordeaux. As such, the younger Peter was asked if he could make a quick stopover in Castilla y Leon to help out on his way to California. There Peter would meet with Carlos del Rio Gonzales-Gordon of the prominent Gonzalez Byass Sherry family who had recently acquired the Hacienda Monasterio, so named after its proximity to a historic local monastery, that had once belonged to the famed Lecanda family of Vega Sicilia, and which was then being refurbished by Philippe Mazieres, architect for Chateau Margaux and Chateau d'Yquem of Bordeaux First Growth fame. Peter would find himself enamoured by the wilderness of the Ribera del Duero and so in 1990 what should have just been a short months long stint in Spain would instead kickstart his formidable run as technical director of the Hacienda Monasterio, of which he continues to helm today.
The Hacienda Monasterio set in the vast expanses of the Ribera del Duero.
Within a short span of several years, the non-Spanish speaking, solely-Bordeaux trained Peter would help solidify the newly emerged Hacienda Monasterio's position as a premier organic winery in the Ribera del Duero, with its wines commanding a premium in the now famed region. As Peter began getting intimately acquainted with his newfound home in Valladolid, he would in his adventures around the region come across a hidden gem in the form of two small 4.5 hectare parcels at high altitude of incredibly old Tempranillo vines in La Horra's San Cristobal and Barrosso (still in the Ribera del Duero) vineyards. These were in fact almost 70 year old bush vines (en vaso) that were planted in 1929 and had never once been treated with chemicals of any sort, having been planted by small rural farmers. Further research would indicate that the vineyards seated at 800 meters above sea level were composed of rare well draining gravel over water retaining clay and limestone sub-soils that were in fact ideal for the harshly hot and arid continental climate. The large daily temperature swings here would further allow the fruit to ripen slowly whilst also preserving natural freshness that was then elevated by the minerality and aromaticity achieved from the unique soils in La Horra. With incredibly low yields, the vines had by then produced only little and in 1975 Peter would acquire them with the goal of now producing his own wines - he would name it Pingus, taken from his childhood nickname that was given by his aunt who had wanted to differentiate between him and his uncle, and had thus merged the names of her two favourite cartoon characters, Peter and Ping.
The old bush vines of San Cristobal, La Horra.
A plucky self-starter as always, Peter would rent a small garage that would serve as his makeshift winery, which would eventually land Pingus' wines the street cred of being Spain's first garagiste wine (or garage wine, then a trend of young upstarts who would produce top quality wines in a remarkably unusual low-fi manner). Desiring to showcase the vines in full clarity, Peter would keep to a non-interventionist approach, first destemming the fruit and then fermenting it spontaneously with native yeasts in large wooden vats and open top oak fermenters that featured just the bare minimum temperature controls. Peter would avoid the use of an added chemicals, fining or filtering, paying particular attention to handling the wines as delicately as he could. With an impossibly small yield in his inaugural 1995 vintage, there would be just 325 cases of Pingus produced in its debut. Yet unfortunately, regardless of Peter's confidence in his wine, local merchants were nevertheless reluctant to stock Pingus' wines - not at his prices, and by Peter's estimations, certainly not from a Dane.
The legendary 1995 Pingus.
Undeterred by rejection, Peter would show up at his uncle's Bordelaise Chateau de Landiras with samples in tow. Thoroughly impressed, the senior Peter would push his nephew to double down and offer his Pingus wines en primeur to be sold even before bottling, going so far as to suggest a then premium price tag commensurate to its quality. Peter would then also send samples to several notable wine critics and buyers from overseas, one of whom being UK's famed wine merchant Corney and Barrow's chief, who would find it so remarkable that he would even go straight to the top by inviting peak wine writer Robert Parker to offer his take on the new wine tasting it blind - serendipitously, Pingus' introductory 1995 vintage would be given the highest score of any Spanish wine at the time. This not only bested the likes of some of the country's most historic wineries, many of whom were emblematic of the Spanish style, but was also reaffirmed by the likes of other critics from Michael Broadbent to Stephen Tanzer who also gave the wine their respective highest scores, thereby proving Pingus' excellence across a range of palates.
It was then that an unforeseen calamity would strike, which would later on in retrospect prove to be yet another stroke of unexpected fortune for the then burgeoning Danish winemaker. Of the 325 cases produced of the inaugural 1995 vintage, 75 cases which were on their way to the United States in 1997 would in a twist of fate sink with its ship off the coast of the Azores, where it remains today in the depths of the Atlantic forever suspended in time. The clash of soaring reviews from critics met with incredible scarcity was therefore enough to cement Pingus as one of the world's most sought after wines. In the decades to follow, Sisseck would go on to both refine his old vine Tempranillo wines, expand his work in the Ribera del Duero, and even venture beyond.
What Sisseck calls Pingus cows, from which he's also begun making his own cheeses.
With the vineyards already farmed organically, Sisseck would move to convert it to biodynamic by 2000, keeping the soils tilled only by horse and dry farmed, whilst also further encouraging biodiversity in the land. The gnarly old vines would have their trunks straightened and lowered, with canes pulled back to only retaining one to two buds each, which were then further pruned to keep yields naturally low - the La Horra vineyards there feature an extraordinary scarce one ton per acre yield. Each season harvest is entirely manual, after which the Tinto Fino (or Tempranillo) undergoes another round of rigorous selection - no Pingus is made in poor vintages. What was once a small makeshift winery has also now been expanded to a proper cellar situated along the banks of the river of Quintanilla de Onesimo, now possessing its own laboratory, as well as a cooling upper cellar for the opened top vats and stainless steel tanks overlooking the courtyard, with then a vaulted barrel storehouse below that was built in 1832 and restored by Sisseck himself.
The winemaking nevertheless has remained natural, with fermentation spontaneously occuring with native yeasts in temperature controlled wooden vats and stainless steel tanks. Over the years, Sisseck has notably reduced new oak usage - his early vintages featured substantial new oak use - instead favouring large, used barrels which allows for the fruit and terroir to come on display with more purity, unhindered by the now subtler wood influence. Thus the Pingus grand vin is a 100% Tempranillo (although some vintages include a small amount of white Albillo and Grenache that is co-fermented to add "spice, vigor, and finesse") wine made from the oldest and lowest yielding vineyards in La Horra, partially destemmed and selectively whole bunch fermented in wood and stainless steel with indigneous yeasts, which is then aged for 18-24 months in a mix of old and new barriques, bottled unfined and unfiltered.
To meet growing demand, Sisseck would later introduce in 1999 a second wine, the Flor de Pingus, for which Sisseck had initially rented half of the Finca Villacreces along with its cellars to produce, whilst also progressively acquire more vineyards in La Horra. By 2004, the Flor de Pingus was also made from Tempranillo fruit farmed in La Horra (making it essentially a village wine) from younger 35 year old vines (with occasionally up to 2% Albillo and Grenache), which are also biodynamically farmed. The Flor de Pingus is said to be comparatively fresher and more fruit forward compared to the Pingus grand vin. Perhaps rarest of all of Sisseck's wines is surely then the single barrel cuvee, Amelia, which is named after Sisseck's wife, and was created exclusively for Dominio de Pingus' American importer, counting just under 300 bottles produced - the Tempranillo fruit here comes from a small parcel of 500 century-old vines that were planted in 1895 and has since also been biodynamically farmed (Sisseck considers the vines here his most perfect Tempranillo clones and therefore uses material from the parcel to replace vines in any of Pingus' vineyards).
Arguably Sisseck's most ambitious project - and also his love letter to the Ribera del Duero region that he has come to call home - is his regional blend Psi (or ψ, the 23rd letter in the Greek alphabet; also an abbreviation of Sisseck's initials). Psi comes from old vines from across the Ribera del Duero, spanning numerous vineyards, villages and growers, and aims to capture the "soul of Ribera" - it is most importantly a community centered project. In 2006, when a land consolidation in La Horra saw some 50 hectares of old vines being grubbed, Sisseck was understandably incredibly upset, having fully understood and appreciated what was lost given his own experiences with what was possible with these old vines. This gave great impetus for Sisseck to create a project that would help to preserve these old vines, which he understood as only sustainable if economical. Sensing the urgency and with the help of Pablo Rubio, a fellow winemaker from the area at Alonso Y Yerro, Sisseck was able to map out using aerial photographs and topographical surveys the parcels in the vast Ribera wilderness that held nuggets of these old vines. It was thus understood that many of these treasure trove parcels had belonged to cooperatives who were paid by the kilograms of fruit harvested, with no requisite for quality - this meant that old vines that were not only difficult to farm, could not be mechanically harvested, and often yielded less than half of what was standard, were no match for being uprooted and replaced. Sisseck would thus quickly move to offer these cooperatives a premium price for the fruit of these old vines, and would even offer to bring his own equipment to vinify it on-site himself. Wanting to allow the old vines to speak for itself, he would keep macerations long and gentle, with no new wood used in its ageing, preferring instead for large oak casks and cement tanks. 2007 would therefore see the first vintage of Psi produced, under the Bodegas y Vinedos Alnardo name.
In the years that followed, Sisseck and his collaborative team would identify and work with 500 growers across 841 parcels at its peak, before eventually moving towards purchasing and acquiring its own vineyards to maintain consistency. As Sisseck points out, being old is not itself synonymous with quality fruit. The process was nevertheless slow and piecemeal, with much of the land on which these oldest parcels of bush vines were found often also holding deep sentimental value for its growers. As such, Sisseck and his partners would first set in place a support program that offered access to his team's expertise and resources (going so far as to establish a local community viticulture school), often guiding growers towards more gentle organic and biodynamic practices as opposed to the heavy use of fertilisers in order to eke yields, and when growers either had no one to pass the vineyards along to or had preferred to offer a purchase option on these rented plots as they transitioned out of them, Sisseck would then acquire these vineyards. Thus far Sisseck has acquired over 90 hectares of old vineyards spread across 300 plots where the team fully handles the farming themselves.
Over time, the team would gain a greater insight into the terroir of each parcel and how it shaped the wines from it, allowing for more precise blending work in composing the final blend. Two particular areas became therefore particularly promising to Sisseck and his team - Peñaranda, where they own 36 hectares, and Gumiel de Izan, where they own 18 hectares - which today serves as the core of Psi, forming some 70% of the final wine, with the remaining sourced from the network of growers. According to the team, Gumiel de Izan is richer in its access to mineral ground water and is well drained, with sandy and clay soils that offers a more supple mid-palate in its wines, whereas Peñaranda has less organic matter and more limestone, showing more structure and freshness. Today, Psi also includes up to 10% of Garnacha (which is said to soften the tannins, and the team has also laid down new plantings of which in their owned vineyards), and also some small amounts of white Albillo when possible for freshness, with the project having a footprint in also villages such as Tubilla del Lago, which holds one of the highest concentrations of old vines in the Ribera del Duero, Zazuar, Baños de Valdearados, Langa de Duero, Soria, Quintanilla de Tres Barrios and also Villálvaro. The team has also sought to continue to shape Psi into its truest form, increasingly favouring earlier harvests, fermentation at lower temperatures and also lesser pump-overs, so as to restrain extraction whilst also offering greater freshness and fine tannins.
With Sisseck himself touting that Psi might prove to be his most important work yet, it has been signalled that more will come from the Psi project, including a Gran Reserva as well as an expanded range of village wines. Despite all that Sisseck has done in the Ribera del Duero, he has nevertheless kept strong ties to his early years in Bordeaux and also fostered greater inroads with the Sherry makers with whom he has partnered with at the Hacienda Monasterio. Each season, Sisseck brings Pingus over to Saint-Emilion where he showcases the wine at en-primeur week alongside his close friend Jean-Luc Thunevin of Chateau Valandraud. He also now helms Saint-Emilion's Chateau Rocheyron, having started from the 2010 vintage. In Spain's famed Jerez, in the Sherry Triangle, Sisseck has also partnered once again with Carlos del Rio to acquire some 10 hectares of vineyards in Pago Balbaina (Vina Corrales) and Pago Macharnude (Vina La Cruz) in order to produce single cru Fino and Amontillado Sherry under the Bodega San Francisco Javier name, with botas from the famous Camborio solera (once belonging to Angel Zamorano Corrales) also purchased for the project.
And so with all that said, it's time to try Psi!
Let's go!
Wine Review: Dominio de Pingus PSI
90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Dark Ruby / Purple, Inky.
Aroma: It opens somewhat musty, with a powdery quality of crushed gravel, chalk, and old cupboards. This does little to get in the way of the intense and powerful fruit aromas of plums, prunes, blackcurrants, dark cherries and raspberries, garnished with heaps of dried rose petals, mixed in with garrigue scents of dried herbs and a dash of white pepper. This is backed up by swaths of vanilla cream, with then a lightly rustic gamey meatiness that accompanies the fruited core.
Taste: Medium-bodied, incredibly rich, dense and firm, yet at the same time lifted with vibrant acidity and fine tannins. Still very much big on the dark and red bramble fruits, with inky blackcurrants, prunes, dark cherries and raspberries, accompanied by a more herbal quality of mint and licorice, with also nuggets of dark chocolate. It's almost chewy, with also a chalky powderiness, some baking spices and a slight char. There's a slight woodsy quality somewhere between tree bark and cedar shavings, that gives it an aromatic almost pine like edge.
Finish: More herbaceous here, with dried rosemary herbs, that Mediterranean garrigue, alongside eucalyptus and licorice, still carrying along that body of bramble blackcurrant and raspberry fruits. Dry, grippy finish, with rose petals and savoury herbs lingering on, as well as a slight chalky powderiness.
My Thoughts
A most intense and impressive wine that's so powerful and yet so surprisingly elegant, with great acidity and freshness that does the Herculean job of lifting up all these dense bramble fruits. Aromatically it is profuse, immediately leaping out of the glass with big fruits, florals and minerality, imbued with this sense of wildness with that gamey meatiness, providing for such an evocative nose. On the palate, it's almost unctuous and really concentrated, yet at the same time seems to have no issue keeping its loftiness. There's a really intriguing almost charred bit about it, and also a woodsiness that's at times herbal and also alittle sharp in a really exciting and energetic way. This all carries through the finish with no loss of power, taking a more herbaceous shade with that lovely very gourmet garrigue, and then finally ending off with that beautiful phenolic grip.
Such an experience that awakens every sense, at all times bold and heightened, but also elegant and sensual. It feels so intriguing and engaging, drawing you in to pay greater attention - and all for a spectacularly wallet friendly price! It's quite literally the best steal of all of Spain!
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
