Pingus 2012

... The 2012 is produced with the biodynamically grown grapes from two very old Tempranillo plots (over 80 years of age), totaling 4.5 hectares in La Horra (Burgos): Barroso is located in an old Duero terrace with a gravel and sandy soil on a chalk and clay subsoil, and San Cristobal which is a clay southwest facing slope. In this vintage, 46% of the clusters fermented with the stems in small, 2,000-liter oak foudres. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in used French oak barrels and the wine was aged for 21 months in second-use French oak barriques: no new oak was used at all. 2012 is really impressive; the word that comes to mind is precision. It's a really focused, sharp, elegant, harmonious and subtle Ribera, with a mixture of earth, fruit and spice singing in the same wave length. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a level of precision and integration difficult to find. The tannins have an impressive silky texture, great length and persistence. I see Pingus coming to a new level with this vintage ... This is a superb vintage for Pingus, a good candidate for a perfect wine. I can only imagine how perfect these grapes were. I get butterflies in my stomach. Drink 2015-2028. Score - 97-100. (Luis Gutierrez, erobertparker.com, Aug. 2014)