2020 Dominio de Pingus ‘Psi’ Ribera del Duero

WA92-94 The unbottled sample of the 2020 PSI feels young, juicy, very fruit-driven and clean. 2020 was an unusual vintage, first of all because of COVID-19, but it was a year with lots of light, plenty of flowers and a beautiful spring. They were able to harvest quite early and finished two days before the abundant rains (except in Soria, which is a different story) that started on the 20th of September. In Ribera, there will be two different harvests: the wines before the rain and those from after. So, this is very healthy, aromatic and floral, with a spark of freshness but also ripe and round. It’s going to be a crowd-pleaser. It has a bright ruby color, with some 10% Garnacha. It somehow has less Tempranillo character.
JS92 Dried lemon rind and blueberries with sliced mushrooms on the nose. Bark too. Medium to full-bodied with firm tannins that are rather minerally and salty in nature. Crushed stone and powerful in the texture. A little rustic but real. Old vine character. Drink or hold.
Estate Notes: PSI is the 23rd letter in the Greek alphabet and is the name of Peter Sisseck’s (of the coveted Pingus and Flor de Pingus) utopian wine from Ribera del Duero. Peter has sought out the best independent vineyard growers in Ribera and is incentivizing them to improve viticultural practices and shun chemicals, lower yields and practice biodynamics by paying them increasingly for the fruit as they improve. The result is a “give back” to the region wine that also expresses the “soul” of Ribera.