2017 Dominio de Pingus Ribera del Duero Psi

Peter Sisseck of Pingus’s early-drinking Psi comes from a patchwork of over 800 small old-vine parcels throughout Ribera del Duero. 97% Tempranillo (Tinto del Pais) and 3% Garnacha. Fermentation took place in 20,000-litre stainless-steel tanks and the wine was then matured for 20–22 months in a combination of stainless-steel and large oak vats (these were virtually new at the time as Peter bought them in 2016). 2017 was not a straightforward vintage, given the catastrophic frost on 28 April which resulted in average yields of just 10 hl/ha. Sisseck's hope is that this is a wine that encapsulates the very essence of Ribera del Duero while helping to stall the flagrant grubbing up of ancient vines in favour of modernity and over-production. The first vintage of 60,000 bottles was 2007. The first couple of vintages were made in rented premises but fr om 2016 everything has been made in their own premises. Since 2016 long-term contracts have become increasingly important with 40% of the productions now directly controlled by them with Sisseck's team doing all the physical vineyard work. The rest of the grapes are from vineyards worked by the grape grower under their guidance. All the wines are aged in wood now but with 80% in big wooden tanks. Deep crimson. Sweet fruit that does slightly recall the C&B Côtes-du-Rhône(!) but with more undertow. There's the spice of high-elevation Ribera and an impressively persistent, vibrant, dry finish. Pretty persistent. Pretty grainy. Fun – especially if viewed as a lively alternative to the much, much more expensive other wines from Sisseck. (JR)

The 2017 PSI shows a much more challenging year after the ideal 2016. They suffered from terrible frost, and the wine was only possible because of the old vines they work and their knowledge; they didn't have to be very ambitious and aimed for the best they could achieve. This wine was 100% produced in the new winery designed specifically for this wine, and they could do a sorting of the grapes from some 700 plots. Because of the frost, there is hardly any Garnacha, so it's almost pure Tempranillo. The wine is not as focused and precise as 2016, and it's also riper and a little more advance. It was a sunny and dry year after all, which, with the low yields, concentrated the wines. It's a good effort for the challenging year but not at the level of other vintages. 300,000 bottles produced.