Since 2011, Peter Sisseck has strived for juiciness and finesse in his wines rather than the violent and imposing, and this means that the wines start to open up a little earlier than before and that the fruit will probably stay fresh even longer. We dare to say that Peter Sisseck is once again on top form in the 2016 vintage. About this Flor de Pingus he says: “Slightly more alcohol and color than Pingus. 30% new barrels give a beautiful lift and an almost sexy character. 100% Tempranillo.” We note that Flor de Pingus now comes with more alcohol than Pingus, and that Flor is now used to sharpen the edges of the new barrels so that they do not interfere too much when Pingus itself should convey its terroir and minerality. A philosophy that is also practiced at Fleur de Petrus in Pomerol. Flor de Pingus is now, as before, made from fruit from partially rented vineyards near the two parcels that give birth to Pingus itself. The vines are just younger, but with 40-60 year old plants, they are still mature vines whose roots penetrate deep into the subsoil and contribute great minerality to the wine. Peter Sisseck experiments with a proportion of whole clusters among the slightly crushed grapes that ferment into wine in 2,000 liter oak barrels, leaving most of it to nature. It is aged for 14 months in a blend of new French barrels and French barrels used for Pingus and bottled in June 2018 without prior clarification or filtration.
Flor de Pingus is in many ways a mirror of Pingus, and the quality and style differences are far less than the price difference indicates. Especially in the first few years after release, which back in 2008 led Robert Parker’s then man in Spain Jay Miller to conclude that “In the price/quality sweepstakes, this might be Spain’s finest wine.” The 2014 was excellent and has been called by several critics a wine that Peter would hardly be able to trump. Already in 2015, that prediction came true and here in the warm and lush 2016 vintage, he once again succeeds in bringing a freshness to the wine that is simply outstanding. Peter Sisseck continues his journey towards super concentrated expression, and it’s beautiful that he succeeds in using an increased harvest yield as an instrument in his quest for ultimate balance!
