Luis Gutiérrez, whom we have previously mentioned following his incorporation into Robert Parker’s team at The Wine Advocate, has recently published his first article entitled “An update on Ribera del Duero’s icons”. In this mini-report, Gutiérrez addresses the “arduous” task of tasting two majors, from Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus.
Concerning Pingus, a wine that he knows well for his relation with Peter Sisseck (initiated in 1998), Luis Gutiérrez stressed that, despite having some disagreements apropos of some past vintages, he recognized that the last two years have improved in precision and concentration levels, making this wine advance various rungs in the quality ladder. Gutiérrez highlights the great work displayed by Peter Sisseck himself and the attention paid, specially to biodynamics and the way the vineyards are worked and treated.
At the same time, with regard to Vega Sicilia, Luis emphasised on the new 2003 line (note that this wine is sold nearly ten years after harvest) and the work that has been put behind two tough years: 2001, when the grapes were not considered to be fit for Único and 2002, a cold and rainy year in which the grape selection criteria yielded a much smaller crop.
We look forward to the next report !
