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Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas Albarino Seleccion Anada 2012 is the latest released vintage of the wonderful white, and we can rest assured that it is a wine of immense personality. Awarded 98 points from the Peñin Guide, the leading wine magazine in Spain, this sings with fascinating notes of “white fruit, citrus fruit, fine lees, petrol”. It possesses a richly flavourful and elegant palate ending with a lengthy finish.Inc. VAT£320.29 -
Wine Advocate (96)
I think the 2014 Albariño Selección de Añada could be the finest vintage of this characterful long-aging Albariño, from a year with a more moderate 13% alcohol and very high acidity (and low pH) that make the wine fresher and more vibrant. It is developing very slowly and showing quite young after it spent over 30 months with lees in 1,500- and 3,000-liter stainless steel tanks. It has a pale color and an elegant nose with notes of freshly cut grass, white flowers and wet granite. The palate is vibrant with effervescent acidity, and it has a long, dry and tasty finish with an austere sensation, far away from the tropical notes of some past vintages. This is superb and should continue developing nicely in bottle. Bravo! It wasn't bottled until April 2023, and 14,000 bottles were produced.Inc. VAT£699.49 -
(6x75cl) 2020Wine Advocate (96)
There is a lot of finesse in the 2020 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra, with a fine texture and almost powdery, elegant tannins, and it transmits a sensation of harmony. It's perfumed and floral and has more red than black fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, precise, clean, tasty and long. It's ripe, but the alcohol (15%) is completely unnoticeable. In fact, it feels less ripe than the Granito from 2020 that I tasted next to it. 4,104 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.Inc. VAT£246.80 -
(6x75cl) 2022Vinous (96)
Xarel·lo often tends to be a lighter white wine, but some examples stand out for their strength and precision. The 2020 Xarel·lo Vinya del Nogués from Pepe Raventós is one of the most enticing interpretations I’ve encountered. Made from biodynamic grapes from Penedès and aged in foudres, this yellow wine features aromas of grapefruit and apple with earthy undertones. It’s dry and creamy on the palate, with a refreshing and loose mouthfeel that leads to a vibrant, energetic pear-juice flavor and a very expressive, lasting finish. This is a skillfully crafted white wine, bottled without any additional sulfur.Inc. VAT£193.24 -
(12x75cl) 2020Wine Advocate (95)
Jorge Monzón considers 2020 to be an almost prefect vintage—cool and fresh, reminiscent of the great 2016. The pink 2020 Pícaro del Águila Clarete was produced with 35% Tempranillo, 35% Albillo Mayor and the rest other local grape varieties (Garnacha, Bobal, Bruñal, Monastrell, Tempranillo Gris, other Albillos, Garnacha Blanca, Pirules, Jaén, Moscatel, Malvasías...) found in the old vineyards. This is very different from your average rosé, more like a serious light red or powerful white that slowly fermented during 11 months and matured in barrel for 18 months. The orange-ish/pink wine is still young and lively, with some notes of toasted sesame seeds and a faint flinty reduction a little à la Coche-Dury, reminiscent of some vintages of their superb white. This was bottled without being racked, and perhaps that's why it has this nice reduction and could be the finest vintage to date. It has a strong chalky aftertaste from the limestone-rich soils, which makes it a terroir white, but it's also very marked by the style (which they updated from the traditional wines in Aranda in the old times) of a unique wine. It's balanced and mellow but not a shy wine, with 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.26. I've tasted 15+-year-old bottles of wines of this style, and they were still lively, so this one should not be shorter lived. Unique. Given my experience with past vintages, I'd wait a little before pulling the cork here. 8,358 bottles and 151 magnums produced. It was bottled in February 2022.Inc. VAT£556.30 -
Vinous (93)
The 2023 Clarete Pícaro del Águila blends 60% Tempranillo, 30% Albillo Mayor and other field-blend varieties. It is fermented in barrel. Pale salmon in color, the wine opens with cherry, peach and a seductive candy note. The palate is fresh and delicate, with lingering cherry on the finish. This is a clarete built to age. “It shows best in its sixth year,” says Jorge Monzón. Recently sulfited and bottled, it will grow with time.Inc. VAT£643.61 -
Wine Advocate (93+)
The youngest of the released wines I tasted is a red—the 2016 Pícaro del Águila Tinto. It is from what they consider to be one of the best and freshest vintages in recent times. This is produced with the vines from the warmer parts of La Aguilera, a cold place to start with (and in a cooler year). The old vines are planted with a mix that is dominated by Tempranillo but also contains some 5% other grapes. All the grapes are picked and fermented together with full clusters and natural yeasts in concrete and stainless steel vats. It matured in oak barrels for 13 months. This is fragrant, expressive, open, aromatic and really attractive. The palate is really balanced, with great freshness, fine tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel—supple, balanced and with great depth. This is the best version of this bottling so far, and it seems like 2016 could be a great overall vintage, based on some other wines I sampled from cask (many of them have an extended élevage). 21,550 bottles and 624 magnums were filled unfiltered and unfined in November 2017.Inc. VAT£492.24 -
Wine Advocate (93)
2017 was an unusually short crop as a result of terrible frost in April 2017, when thermometers reached -10 degrees Celsius in some places. The 2017 Pícaro del Águila Tinto, their entry-level and most approachable red, was seriously affected, of course. They lost some 60% of the volume, but the wine is incredible for the condition of the year. It feels a little more mysterious, not as expressive or open, a bit reductive perhaps, but the aromas are clean and don't show any excess ripeness. They did an amazing job eliminating all the raisins that didn't make it into the fermentation vat, and the extra workload has clearly paid off. The wine has some grip and fine, chalky tannins. 17,025 bottles and 487 magnums produced. It was bottled unfiltered and unfined and with just a little sulfur added in October 2018 after 12 months in oak barrels.Inc. VAT£460.30 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
The youngest of the reds I tasted, the 2019 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is their most approachable red and is still serious, vibrant and aromatic with great length and still has good aging potential. They use the grapes from the warmest vineyards they have in the village of La Aguilera, form the northern part closer to La Horra, mostly Tempranillo but with some 5% of other varieties (red and white) interplanted in the old vineyards, fermented together with full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for 15 months. Like the 2019 Clarete, this is young and tender and has more tension than I expected for a warmer year. It has less oak than previous years (only 10% or 15% new barrels), and the wine feels better balanced and is floral and aromatic. It's medium-bodied with a very fine texture, a pretty wine that drinks very well and doesn't reflect a warm year at all, as it has incredible freshness. A great Pícaro. They produced 69,852 bottles and 850 magnums, a notable increase in volume... while they increase the quality! It was bottled in February 2021.Inc. VAT£334.30 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The juicy, velvety and aromatic red 2020 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is fine-boned and quite faithfully represents what they want to express with this cuvée; it's very tasty and has some chalkiness (perhaps through less ripeness than in years like 2018) with 14% alcohol and mellow acidity. The nose reveals some Côte-Rôtie-like notes of smoked meat and violets. 2020 delivered a good crop of healthy grapes that produced the finest wine to date for this bottling. This is superb, elegant and powerful, with everything in place (seems to be the signature of 2020) and perfectly integrated oak. 71,382 bottles and 1,979 magnums produced. It was bottled in September 2021.Inc. VAT£336.70 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The 2022 Pícaro del Águila Tinto has similar parameters to the 2021 (14% alcohol), but the sensation is of higher ripeness. Surprisingly enough, it has a lower pH than the 2021 I tasted next to it; they used more white to give it freshness and more of the other varieties. It has chalky, dry tannins, reflecting the terroir more, which is remarkable for such a warm and dry year. This is more serious, and the 2021 is more approachable. A triumph over the vintage. 61,757 bottles and 1,979 magnums produced. It was bottled in January 2024.Inc. VAT£340.30 -
(1x75cl) 1995Vinous (96)
Deep ruby-red. Mellow, deep aromas of dark berries and exotic wood tones, with a suggestion of Provençal herbs; not quite as lively or perfumed as the brighter '96. Shows the roasted, gamey ripeness that characterizes so many '95s from the region. Great sweetness and complexity in the mouth. Doesn't possess quite the sappy lift of the '96, but perhaps even more concentrated. Powerful underlying structure and palate-staining persistence. Has the thick, 3-D texture to buffer its huge, ripe tannins. I ultimately give the '96 a slight edge on sheer brightness, but this is compelling wine.Inc. VAT£1,457.74 -
Vinous (96+)
Deep, bright ruby. Extraordinarily complex, lively nose combines black raspberry, bitter chocolate, nutmeg and an intriguing suggestion of roasted herbs. Amazingly rich and smooth in the mouth; truly explosive fruit offers superb vinosity and snap. Like liquid velvet but with great clarity of flavor. Builds in intensity and seems to grow thicker on the back half. The huge finishing fruit coats the entire palate. Amazing juice.Inc. VAT£940.13 -
(1x75cl) 1999Wine Advocate (98)
Readers can look forward to a spectacular, nearly perfect 1999 Pingus. It boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, sensational extract, gorgeous concentration, and spectacularly intense blackberry and cherry aromas and flavors infused with incense, coffee, chocolate, and toasty new oak. Enormous levels of extract and richness are accompanied by a full-bodied, glycerin-imbued, thick, viscous finish. The tannin is nearly hidden by the wine's wealth of fruit and concentration. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025.Inc. VAT£729.86 -
(6x75cl) 2000Vinous (95)
Bright ruby to the rim. Initially cool aromas of blackberry, coffee, mocha and lead pencil; showed a chocolatey aspect with 24 hours in the recorked bottle. Very rich, dense and deep, with a suave, utterly creamy texture. The wine's great sucrosity is buffered by tangy acidity. Finishes with noble, sweet tannins and great persistence. The crop levels in the vineyards that go into Pingus were cut by spring hail (and Peter Sisseck's decision to prune all of the affected bunches), resulting in the lowest yield for this wine since its inception in 1995.Inc. VAT£4,564.84 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The 2006 Pingus is a spectacular effort. A glass-staining saturated opaque purple, it delivers an other-worldly perfume of smoke, lavender, mineral, scorched earth, and an amalgam of kinky black fruits. Voluptuous on the palate in a measured way, it has superb balance, layered, complex flavors, ripe tannin that is entirely covered by the fruit, and a decade of aging potential. This monumental wine will evolve effortlessly for 10-15 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2036.Inc. VAT£9,722.11 -
(6x75cl) 2007Wine Advocate (98)
Vintage conditions required a stricter selection for the 2007 Pingus. The aromatics are more brooding but seriously multifaceted. Smoke, pencil lead, truffle, Asian spices, blackberry, and licorice notes are followed by a chewy, dense, rich, powerful wine with fully integrated oak, savory black fruits, ripe tannins, and a decade of aging potential. Drink it from 2020 to 2037 if not longer.Inc. VAT£4,430.00 -
Decanter (99)
I tried this wine first at the time of release and it shocked me. Classic Pingus, oaky and muscular, was transformed into a jewel of infinite delicacy, with a pure and precise fruit expression, fine-grained tannins (not a hint of oak tannins), joyously open on the finish. Ten years later, the wine has gained in complexity, while keeping a youthful profile and extending its already persistent finish. I am sure that it will continue to reach new heights, but I couldn't be able to refrain from drinking it now if I could. The satin of Burgundy and the fine detailing of Bordeaux, all in one wine.Inc. VAT£6,446.00 -
(1x150cl) 2011Wine Advocate (95)
As with all the 2011s, the 2011 Pingus is riper, with never-seen-before alcohol levels (15.5%), but the wine feels extremely balanced. As usual, the highly-selected grapes were fermented in 2,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and aged for 22 months in second-and third-fill barrels. It is ripe and exuberant, with notes of violets, spices (curry!), smoky peat and umami-like meat-broth aromas. The palate is full-bodied, glyceric with sophisticated tannins, but plenty of them, so they need to calm down a little. I believe there will be a lot of people who will really love this 2011, it's showy and exuberant. 6,000 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2020.Inc. VAT£1,622.54 -
Wine Advocate (95)
As with all the 2011s, the 2011 Pingus is riper, with never-seen-before alcohol levels (15.5%), but the wine feels extremely balanced. As usual, the highly-selected grapes were fermented in 2,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and aged for 22 months in second-and third-fill barrels. It is ripe and exuberant, with notes of violets, spices (curry!), smoky peat and umami-like meat-broth aromas. The palate is full-bodied, glyceric with sophisticated tannins, but plenty of them, so they need to calm down a little. I believe there will be a lot of people who will really love this 2011, it's showy and exuberant. 6,000 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2020.Inc. VAT£2,139.22 -
(1x150cl) 2013Wine Advocate (96)
I tasted the 2013 Pingus one week before the wine was to be bottled, but one never knows. I tasted the 2012 under the same circumstances last year, and after my tasting, Peter Sisseck decided the wine needed some more time, so the élevage was extended and the bottling delayed. I was told this should be very close to the bottled version. The nose is aromatic, expressive and open, quite perfumed and subtle, with no traces of oak (the wine now ages in used barriques); even the spices are very much in the background. The Pingus vineyards behaved quite well in a difficult vintage, as great vineyards are a lot more homogeneous, so the vines are very balanced: the two vineyards used for Pingus, San Cristobal and Barroso, were planted in 1929 with two different massale selections. The palate is also approachable and gentle, with very good acidity and very fine tannins, elegance and character. I think there will be very few (or none!) wines in Ribera in 2013 like this Pingus. Well done! Three weeks later, I received an email letting me know that the wine had been bottled, so I proceeded to taste the bottle version, which showed what the sample promised. 2013 will be a vintage, that in Ribera del Duero, will show the differences of the work in the vineyards and what they do at Pingus clearly paid off. Even after the recent operation, the wine is harmonious and feels very balanced; there is no dizziness and it keeps the poise. A real triumph for the vintage. 6,600 bottles were filled at the end of July 2015.Inc. VAT£1,430.81 -
Wine Advocate (100)
I don't think I've ever tasted a wine more recently bottled than the 2014 Pingus, which was bottled in the morning and I tasted it that very same evening! Peter Sisseck compares this to the 1995, the first vintage ever produced, when he learned that when you have such perfect grapes, you should do very little to the wine. He's been trying to replicate that first vintage, but there's nothing you can do to force it, as it has to be the natural conditions of the vintage that bring those grapes. What he also learned with the 1995 was that with wines like that, you need a long and slow aging in oak; so for the 2014, he decided to do a little longer élevage—three winters in barrel—but in 100% used barrels, something he started in 2012. If it would have been new oak, as in the past, it would have been impossible to have such extended aging without marking the wine too much and possibly forever. The wine was quite tannic to start with, but it was racked every six months, and in that way they have managed to tame those tannins without getting the wine tired, as the aging itself was quite reductive. The nose is quite harmonious and open, but maybe not very expressive, a normal thing considering the extremely short bottle age it had (hours!), but it should gain precision in bottle. In instances like this, you have to guide yourself by the palate. And it's precisely on the palate where you find that texture that is almost unique to Ribera del Duero when it's as perfect as this. It's very different from other zones, a velvety mouthfeel and a surrounding sensation of comfort, incredibly long. The tannins are ultra fine and with that subtle chalkiness of the limestone soils, which also added to the tastiness and the supple aftertaste. In short, I cannot think of a way of improving this Pingus other, than getting a magnum instead of a regular bottle! Congratulations, Peter Sisseck! 4,800 bottles were filled on January 16th of 2017, a slightly shorter production than the average, because part of the vines were hit by hail and didn't make it into the final blend. Now stay tuned for 2015 and 2016.Inc. VAT£1,758.41 -
(6x75cl) 2014
Wine Advocate (100)
I don't think I've ever tasted a wine more recently bottled than the 2014 Pingus, which was bottled in the morning and I tasted it that very same evening! Peter Sisseck compares this to the 1995, the first vintage ever produced, when he learned that when you have such perfect grapes, you should do very little to the wine. He's been trying to replicate that first vintage, but there's nothing you can do to force it, as it has to be the natural conditions of the vintage that bring those grapes. What he also learned with the 1995 was that with wines like that, you need a long and slow aging in oak; so for the 2014, he decided to do a little longer élevage—three winters in barrel—but in 100% used barrels, something he started in 2012. If it would have been new oak, as in the past, it would have been impossible to have such extended aging without marking the wine too much and possibly forever. The wine was quite tannic to start with, but it was racked every six months, and in that way they have managed to tame those tannins without getting the wine tired, as the aging itself was quite reductive. The nose is quite harmonious and open, but maybe not very expressive, a normal thing considering the extremely short bottle age it had (hours!), but it should gain precision in bottle. In instances like this, you have to guide yourself by the palate. And it's precisely on the palate where you find that texture that is almost unique to Ribera del Duero when it's as perfect as this. It's very different from other zones, a velvety mouthfeel and a surrounding sensation of comfort, incredibly long. The tannins are ultra fine and with that subtle chalkiness of the limestone soils, which also added to the tastiness and the supple aftertaste. In short, I cannot think of a way of improving this Pingus other, than getting a magnum instead of a regular bottle! Congratulations, Peter Sisseck! 4,800 bottles were filled on January 16th of 2017, a slightly shorter production than the average, because part of the vines were hit by hail and didn't make it into the final blend. Now stay tuned for 2015 and 2016.Inc. VAT£7,033.24 -
(1x300cl) 2015
Wine Advocate (99)
Peter Sisseck was ecstatic about the quality of the 2015 Pingus. Since he no longer uses any new oak—and hasn't since 2012—the élevage in used wood is extended to 23 or 24 months. This is the first vintage certified as biodynamic from Demeter. We poured the wine and took half an hour to get to it, as the wine was very closed at first and opened up very slowly in the glass. Little by little, the nose started showing a floral character, what I consider the perfume of great Ribera del Duero, the elegant part that compensates the powerful nature of the wines and gives the finesse to the best wines. The wine has been very consistent in the last few vintages, as Sisseck reckons the old but balanced vines (they started working in biodynamics in 2000) cushion the vintage differences more than other younger vineyards. These vines were planted in 1929, and they have always been farmed organically and in a traditional way. This is truly outstanding. In a way, it made me think of 2010, even if they are very different years. It was bottled in August 2017, and there are some 6,500 bottles of this gem. Even if very young, it already drinks well. Great wines tend to be drinkable throughout their life...Inc. VAT£3,110.03 -
(6x75cl) 2015
Wine Advocate (99)
Peter Sisseck was ecstatic about the quality of the 2015 Pingus. Since he no longer uses any new oak—and hasn't since 2012—the élevage in used wood is extended to 23 or 24 months. This is the first vintage certified as biodynamic from Demeter. We poured the wine and took half an hour to get to it, as the wine was very closed at first and opened up very slowly in the glass. Little by little, the nose started showing a floral character, what I consider the perfume of great Ribera del Duero, the elegant part that compensates the powerful nature of the wines and gives the finesse to the best wines. The wine has been very consistent in the last few vintages, as Sisseck reckons the old but balanced vines (they started working in biodynamics in 2000) cushion the vintage differences more than other younger vineyards. These vines were planted in 1929, and they have always been farmed organically and in a traditional way. This is truly outstanding. In a way, it made me think of 2010, even if they are very different years. It was bottled in August 2017, and there are some 6,500 bottles of this gem. Even if very young, it already drinks well. Great wines tend to be drinkable throughout their life...Inc. VAT£4,941.64 -
(1x150cl) 2018
Wine Advocate (100)
I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020.Inc. VAT£2,188.01 -
Wine Advocate (100)
I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020.Inc. VAT£5,903.98 -
Wine Advocate (99)
I tasted the bottled 2019 Pingus two weeks after bottling. Even at this early stage and after the operation, the wine is super harmonious and elegant. They really outdid themselves here and produced an amazingly fresh, aromatic and harmonious wine in a warm vintage. It's incredibly textured, with refined, very fine-grained and chalky tannins. It's very balanced, and there's no excess of anything; it has 14% alcohol, perfect ripeness and a velvety mouthfeel. It gets more floral with time in the glass, getting nuanced and really interesting. It delivers what the barrel sample promised one year ago, when the wine already surprised me. I think the word that best describes this wine is precision—it's clean, focused, balanced and delineated. Bravo! 7,900 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2021.Inc. VAT£2,326.82 -
Inc. VAT£1,805.32 -
Inc. VAT£708.80
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Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas Albarino Seleccion Anada 2012 is the latest released vintage of the wonderful white, and we can rest assured that it is a wine of immense personality. Awarded 98 points from the Peñin Guide, the leading wine magazine in Spain, this sings with fascinating notes of “white fruit, citrus fruit, fine lees, petrol”. It possesses a richly flavourful and elegant palate ending with a lengthy finish.In Bond£249.00
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Wine Advocate (96)
I think the 2014 Albariño Selección de Añada could be the finest vintage of this characterful long-aging Albariño, from a year with a more moderate 13% alcohol and very high acidity (and low pH) that make the wine fresher and more vibrant. It is developing very slowly and showing quite young after it spent over 30 months with lees in 1,500- and 3,000-liter stainless steel tanks. It has a pale color and an elegant nose with notes of freshly cut grass, white flowers and wet granite. The palate is vibrant with effervescent acidity, and it has a long, dry and tasty finish with an austere sensation, far away from the tropical notes of some past vintages. This is superb and should continue developing nicely in bottle. Bravo! It wasn't bottled until April 2023, and 14,000 bottles were produced.In Bond£565.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020
Wine Advocate (96)
There is a lot of finesse in the 2020 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra, with a fine texture and almost powdery, elegant tannins, and it transmits a sensation of harmony. It's perfumed and floral and has more red than black fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, precise, clean, tasty and long. It's ripe, but the alcohol (15%) is completely unnoticeable. In fact, it feels less ripe than the Granito from 2020 that I tasted next to it. 4,104 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.In Bond£185.00 -
(6x75cl) 2022
Vinous (96)
Xarel·lo often tends to be a lighter white wine, but some examples stand out for their strength and precision. The 2020 Xarel·lo Vinya del Nogués from Pepe Raventós is one of the most enticing interpretations I’ve encountered. Made from biodynamic grapes from Penedès and aged in foudres, this yellow wine features aromas of grapefruit and apple with earthy undertones. It’s dry and creamy on the palate, with a refreshing and loose mouthfeel that leads to a vibrant, energetic pear-juice flavor and a very expressive, lasting finish. This is a skillfully crafted white wine, bottled without any additional sulfur.In Bond£145.00 -
(12x75cl) 2020
Wine Advocate (95)
Jorge Monzón considers 2020 to be an almost prefect vintage—cool and fresh, reminiscent of the great 2016. The pink 2020 Pícaro del Águila Clarete was produced with 35% Tempranillo, 35% Albillo Mayor and the rest other local grape varieties (Garnacha, Bobal, Bruñal, Monastrell, Tempranillo Gris, other Albillos, Garnacha Blanca, Pirules, Jaén, Moscatel, Malvasías...) found in the old vineyards. This is very different from your average rosé, more like a serious light red or powerful white that slowly fermented during 11 months and matured in barrel for 18 months. The orange-ish/pink wine is still young and lively, with some notes of toasted sesame seeds and a faint flinty reduction a little à la Coche-Dury, reminiscent of some vintages of their superb white. This was bottled without being racked, and perhaps that's why it has this nice reduction and could be the finest vintage to date. It has a strong chalky aftertaste from the limestone-rich soils, which makes it a terroir white, but it's also very marked by the style (which they updated from the traditional wines in Aranda in the old times) of a unique wine. It's balanced and mellow but not a shy wine, with 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.26. I've tasted 15+-year-old bottles of wines of this style, and they were still lively, so this one should not be shorter lived. Unique. Given my experience with past vintages, I'd wait a little before pulling the cork here. 8,358 bottles and 151 magnums produced. It was bottled in February 2022.In Bond£425.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2023 Clarete Pícaro del Águila blends 60% Tempranillo, 30% Albillo Mayor and other field-blend varieties. It is fermented in barrel. Pale salmon in color, the wine opens with cherry, peach and a seductive candy note. The palate is fresh and delicate, with lingering cherry on the finish. This is a clarete built to age. “It shows best in its sixth year,” says Jorge Monzón. Recently sulfited and bottled, it will grow with time.In Bond£495.00 -
Wine Advocate (93+)
The youngest of the released wines I tasted is a red—the 2016 Pícaro del Águila Tinto. It is from what they consider to be one of the best and freshest vintages in recent times. This is produced with the vines from the warmer parts of La Aguilera, a cold place to start with (and in a cooler year). The old vines are planted with a mix that is dominated by Tempranillo but also contains some 5% other grapes. All the grapes are picked and fermented together with full clusters and natural yeasts in concrete and stainless steel vats. It matured in oak barrels for 13 months. This is fragrant, expressive, open, aromatic and really attractive. The palate is really balanced, with great freshness, fine tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel—supple, balanced and with great depth. This is the best version of this bottling so far, and it seems like 2016 could be a great overall vintage, based on some other wines I sampled from cask (many of them have an extended élevage). 21,550 bottles and 624 magnums were filled unfiltered and unfined in November 2017.In Bond£373.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
2017 was an unusually short crop as a result of terrible frost in April 2017, when thermometers reached -10 degrees Celsius in some places. The 2017 Pícaro del Águila Tinto, their entry-level and most approachable red, was seriously affected, of course. They lost some 60% of the volume, but the wine is incredible for the condition of the year. It feels a little more mysterious, not as expressive or open, a bit reductive perhaps, but the aromas are clean and don't show any excess ripeness. They did an amazing job eliminating all the raisins that didn't make it into the fermentation vat, and the extra workload has clearly paid off. The wine has some grip and fine, chalky tannins. 17,025 bottles and 487 magnums produced. It was bottled unfiltered and unfined and with just a little sulfur added in October 2018 after 12 months in oak barrels.In Bond£345.00 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
The youngest of the reds I tasted, the 2019 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is their most approachable red and is still serious, vibrant and aromatic with great length and still has good aging potential. They use the grapes from the warmest vineyards they have in the village of La Aguilera, form the northern part closer to La Horra, mostly Tempranillo but with some 5% of other varieties (red and white) interplanted in the old vineyards, fermented together with full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for 15 months. Like the 2019 Clarete, this is young and tender and has more tension than I expected for a warmer year. It has less oak than previous years (only 10% or 15% new barrels), and the wine feels better balanced and is floral and aromatic. It's medium-bodied with a very fine texture, a pretty wine that drinks very well and doesn't reflect a warm year at all, as it has incredible freshness. A great Pícaro. They produced 69,852 bottles and 850 magnums, a notable increase in volume... while they increase the quality! It was bottled in February 2021.In Bond£240.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The juicy, velvety and aromatic red 2020 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is fine-boned and quite faithfully represents what they want to express with this cuvée; it's very tasty and has some chalkiness (perhaps through less ripeness than in years like 2018) with 14% alcohol and mellow acidity. The nose reveals some Côte-Rôtie-like notes of smoked meat and violets. 2020 delivered a good crop of healthy grapes that produced the finest wine to date for this bottling. This is superb, elegant and powerful, with everything in place (seems to be the signature of 2020) and perfectly integrated oak. 71,382 bottles and 1,979 magnums produced. It was bottled in September 2021.In Bond£242.00 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The 2022 Pícaro del Águila Tinto has similar parameters to the 2021 (14% alcohol), but the sensation is of higher ripeness. Surprisingly enough, it has a lower pH than the 2021 I tasted next to it; they used more white to give it freshness and more of the other varieties. It has chalky, dry tannins, reflecting the terroir more, which is remarkable for such a warm and dry year. This is more serious, and the 2021 is more approachable. A triumph over the vintage. 61,757 bottles and 1,979 magnums produced. It was bottled in January 2024.In Bond£245.00 -
(1x75cl) 1995
Vinous (96)
Deep ruby-red. Mellow, deep aromas of dark berries and exotic wood tones, with a suggestion of Provençal herbs; not quite as lively or perfumed as the brighter '96. Shows the roasted, gamey ripeness that characterizes so many '95s from the region. Great sweetness and complexity in the mouth. Doesn't possess quite the sappy lift of the '96, but perhaps even more concentrated. Powerful underlying structure and palate-staining persistence. Has the thick, 3-D texture to buffer its huge, ripe tannins. I ultimately give the '96 a slight edge on sheer brightness, but this is compelling wine.In Bond£1,211.34 -
Vinous (96+)
Deep, bright ruby. Extraordinarily complex, lively nose combines black raspberry, bitter chocolate, nutmeg and an intriguing suggestion of roasted herbs. Amazingly rich and smooth in the mouth; truly explosive fruit offers superb vinosity and snap. Like liquid velvet but with great clarity of flavor. Builds in intensity and seems to grow thicker on the back half. The huge finishing fruit coats the entire palate. Amazing juice.In Bond£780.00 -
(1x75cl) 1999
Wine Advocate (98)
Readers can look forward to a spectacular, nearly perfect 1999 Pingus. It boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, sensational extract, gorgeous concentration, and spectacularly intense blackberry and cherry aromas and flavors infused with incense, coffee, chocolate, and toasty new oak. Enormous levels of extract and richness are accompanied by a full-bodied, glycerin-imbued, thick, viscous finish. The tannin is nearly hidden by the wine's wealth of fruit and concentration. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025.In Bond£605.00 -
(6x75cl) 2000
Vinous (95)
Bright ruby to the rim. Initially cool aromas of blackberry, coffee, mocha and lead pencil; showed a chocolatey aspect with 24 hours in the recorked bottle. Very rich, dense and deep, with a suave, utterly creamy texture. The wine's great sucrosity is buffered by tangy acidity. Finishes with noble, sweet tannins and great persistence. The crop levels in the vineyards that go into Pingus were cut by spring hail (and Peter Sisseck's decision to prune all of the affected bunches), resulting in the lowest yield for this wine since its inception in 1995.In Bond£3,788.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The 2006 Pingus is a spectacular effort. A glass-staining saturated opaque purple, it delivers an other-worldly perfume of smoke, lavender, mineral, scorched earth, and an amalgam of kinky black fruits. Voluptuous on the palate in a measured way, it has superb balance, layered, complex flavors, ripe tannin that is entirely covered by the fruit, and a decade of aging potential. This monumental wine will evolve effortlessly for 10-15 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2036.In Bond£8,062.00 -
(6x75cl) 2007
Wine Advocate (98)
Vintage conditions required a stricter selection for the 2007 Pingus. The aromatics are more brooding but seriously multifaceted. Smoke, pencil lead, truffle, Asian spices, blackberry, and licorice notes are followed by a chewy, dense, rich, powerful wine with fully integrated oak, savory black fruits, ripe tannins, and a decade of aging potential. Drink it from 2020 to 2037 if not longer.In Bond£3,671.00 -
Decanter (99)
I tried this wine first at the time of release and it shocked me. Classic Pingus, oaky and muscular, was transformed into a jewel of infinite delicacy, with a pure and precise fruit expression, fine-grained tannins (not a hint of oak tannins), joyously open on the finish. Ten years later, the wine has gained in complexity, while keeping a youthful profile and extending its already persistent finish. I am sure that it will continue to reach new heights, but I couldn't be able to refrain from drinking it now if I could. The satin of Burgundy and the fine detailing of Bordeaux, all in one wine.In Bond£5,351.00 -
(1x150cl) 2011
Wine Advocate (95)
As with all the 2011s, the 2011 Pingus is riper, with never-seen-before alcohol levels (15.5%), but the wine feels extremely balanced. As usual, the highly-selected grapes were fermented in 2,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and aged for 22 months in second-and third-fill barrels. It is ripe and exuberant, with notes of violets, spices (curry!), smoky peat and umami-like meat-broth aromas. The palate is full-bodied, glyceric with sophisticated tannins, but plenty of them, so they need to calm down a little. I believe there will be a lot of people who will really love this 2011, it's showy and exuberant. 6,000 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2020.In Bond£1,345.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
As with all the 2011s, the 2011 Pingus is riper, with never-seen-before alcohol levels (15.5%), but the wine feels extremely balanced. As usual, the highly-selected grapes were fermented in 2,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and aged for 22 months in second-and third-fill barrels. It is ripe and exuberant, with notes of violets, spices (curry!), smoky peat and umami-like meat-broth aromas. The palate is full-bodied, glyceric with sophisticated tannins, but plenty of them, so they need to calm down a little. I believe there will be a lot of people who will really love this 2011, it's showy and exuberant. 6,000 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2020.In Bond£1,772.00 -
(1x150cl) 2013
Wine Advocate (96)
I tasted the 2013 Pingus one week before the wine was to be bottled, but one never knows. I tasted the 2012 under the same circumstances last year, and after my tasting, Peter Sisseck decided the wine needed some more time, so the élevage was extended and the bottling delayed. I was told this should be very close to the bottled version. The nose is aromatic, expressive and open, quite perfumed and subtle, with no traces of oak (the wine now ages in used barriques); even the spices are very much in the background. The Pingus vineyards behaved quite well in a difficult vintage, as great vineyards are a lot more homogeneous, so the vines are very balanced: the two vineyards used for Pingus, San Cristobal and Barroso, were planted in 1929 with two different massale selections. The palate is also approachable and gentle, with very good acidity and very fine tannins, elegance and character. I think there will be very few (or none!) wines in Ribera in 2013 like this Pingus. Well done! Three weeks later, I received an email letting me know that the wine had been bottled, so I proceeded to taste the bottle version, which showed what the sample promised. 2013 will be a vintage, that in Ribera del Duero, will show the differences of the work in the vineyards and what they do at Pingus clearly paid off. Even after the recent operation, the wine is harmonious and feels very balanced; there is no dizziness and it keeps the poise. A real triumph for the vintage. 6,600 bottles were filled at the end of July 2015.In Bond£1,187.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
I don't think I've ever tasted a wine more recently bottled than the 2014 Pingus, which was bottled in the morning and I tasted it that very same evening! Peter Sisseck compares this to the 1995, the first vintage ever produced, when he learned that when you have such perfect grapes, you should do very little to the wine. He's been trying to replicate that first vintage, but there's nothing you can do to force it, as it has to be the natural conditions of the vintage that bring those grapes. What he also learned with the 1995 was that with wines like that, you need a long and slow aging in oak; so for the 2014, he decided to do a little longer élevage—three winters in barrel—but in 100% used barrels, something he started in 2012. If it would have been new oak, as in the past, it would have been impossible to have such extended aging without marking the wine too much and possibly forever. The wine was quite tannic to start with, but it was racked every six months, and in that way they have managed to tame those tannins without getting the wine tired, as the aging itself was quite reductive. The nose is quite harmonious and open, but maybe not very expressive, a normal thing considering the extremely short bottle age it had (hours!), but it should gain precision in bottle. In instances like this, you have to guide yourself by the palate. And it's precisely on the palate where you find that texture that is almost unique to Ribera del Duero when it's as perfect as this. It's very different from other zones, a velvety mouthfeel and a surrounding sensation of comfort, incredibly long. The tannins are ultra fine and with that subtle chalkiness of the limestone soils, which also added to the tastiness and the supple aftertaste. In short, I cannot think of a way of improving this Pingus other, than getting a magnum instead of a regular bottle! Congratulations, Peter Sisseck! 4,800 bottles were filled on January 16th of 2017, a slightly shorter production than the average, because part of the vines were hit by hail and didn't make it into the final blend. Now stay tuned for 2015 and 2016.In Bond£1,460.00 -
(6x75cl) 2014
Wine Advocate (100)
I don't think I've ever tasted a wine more recently bottled than the 2014 Pingus, which was bottled in the morning and I tasted it that very same evening! Peter Sisseck compares this to the 1995, the first vintage ever produced, when he learned that when you have such perfect grapes, you should do very little to the wine. He's been trying to replicate that first vintage, but there's nothing you can do to force it, as it has to be the natural conditions of the vintage that bring those grapes. What he also learned with the 1995 was that with wines like that, you need a long and slow aging in oak; so for the 2014, he decided to do a little longer élevage—three winters in barrel—but in 100% used barrels, something he started in 2012. If it would have been new oak, as in the past, it would have been impossible to have such extended aging without marking the wine too much and possibly forever. The wine was quite tannic to start with, but it was racked every six months, and in that way they have managed to tame those tannins without getting the wine tired, as the aging itself was quite reductive. The nose is quite harmonious and open, but maybe not very expressive, a normal thing considering the extremely short bottle age it had (hours!), but it should gain precision in bottle. In instances like this, you have to guide yourself by the palate. And it's precisely on the palate where you find that texture that is almost unique to Ribera del Duero when it's as perfect as this. It's very different from other zones, a velvety mouthfeel and a surrounding sensation of comfort, incredibly long. The tannins are ultra fine and with that subtle chalkiness of the limestone soils, which also added to the tastiness and the supple aftertaste. In short, I cannot think of a way of improving this Pingus other, than getting a magnum instead of a regular bottle! Congratulations, Peter Sisseck! 4,800 bottles were filled on January 16th of 2017, a slightly shorter production than the average, because part of the vines were hit by hail and didn't make it into the final blend. Now stay tuned for 2015 and 2016.In Bond£5,845.00 -
(1x300cl) 2015
Wine Advocate (99)
Peter Sisseck was ecstatic about the quality of the 2015 Pingus. Since he no longer uses any new oak—and hasn't since 2012—the élevage in used wood is extended to 23 or 24 months. This is the first vintage certified as biodynamic from Demeter. We poured the wine and took half an hour to get to it, as the wine was very closed at first and opened up very slowly in the glass. Little by little, the nose started showing a floral character, what I consider the perfume of great Ribera del Duero, the elegant part that compensates the powerful nature of the wines and gives the finesse to the best wines. The wine has been very consistent in the last few vintages, as Sisseck reckons the old but balanced vines (they started working in biodynamics in 2000) cushion the vintage differences more than other younger vineyards. These vines were planted in 1929, and they have always been farmed organically and in a traditional way. This is truly outstanding. In a way, it made me think of 2010, even if they are very different years. It was bottled in August 2017, and there are some 6,500 bottles of this gem. Even if very young, it already drinks well. Great wines tend to be drinkable throughout their life...In Bond£2,581.00 -
(6x75cl) 2015
Wine Advocate (99)
Peter Sisseck was ecstatic about the quality of the 2015 Pingus. Since he no longer uses any new oak—and hasn't since 2012—the élevage in used wood is extended to 23 or 24 months. This is the first vintage certified as biodynamic from Demeter. We poured the wine and took half an hour to get to it, as the wine was very closed at first and opened up very slowly in the glass. Little by little, the nose started showing a floral character, what I consider the perfume of great Ribera del Duero, the elegant part that compensates the powerful nature of the wines and gives the finesse to the best wines. The wine has been very consistent in the last few vintages, as Sisseck reckons the old but balanced vines (they started working in biodynamics in 2000) cushion the vintage differences more than other younger vineyards. These vines were planted in 1929, and they have always been farmed organically and in a traditional way. This is truly outstanding. In a way, it made me think of 2010, even if they are very different years. It was bottled in August 2017, and there are some 6,500 bottles of this gem. Even if very young, it already drinks well. Great wines tend to be drinkable throughout their life...In Bond£4,102.00 -
(1x150cl) 2018
Wine Advocate (100)
I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020.In Bond£1,818.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020.In Bond£4,900.00 -
Wine Advocate (99)
I tasted the bottled 2019 Pingus two weeks after bottling. Even at this early stage and after the operation, the wine is super harmonious and elegant. They really outdid themselves here and produced an amazingly fresh, aromatic and harmonious wine in a warm vintage. It's incredibly textured, with refined, very fine-grained and chalky tannins. It's very balanced, and there's no excess of anything; it has 14% alcohol, perfect ripeness and a velvety mouthfeel. It gets more floral with time in the glass, getting nuanced and really interesting. It delivers what the barrel sample promised one year ago, when the wine already surprised me. I think the word that best describes this wine is precision—it's clean, focused, balanced and delineated. Bravo! 7,900 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2021.In Bond£1,931.00 -
In Bond£1,498.00
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In Bond£588.00
While Rioja is still the region that springs to mind for most consumers when thinking about Spain, wines from other regions are slowly yet assertively making themselves known. There are the dark, arresting wines of Priorat, the crisp, apply whites made from the Godello grape, the often almost Burgundian Ruedas, the ‘cult’ wines like Vega Sicilia… not just rustic, oxidative wines any longer, but rather intriguing and individual vinous experiences.
