Dominio de Pingus Ribera del Duero Pingus 2010 750ml

I have tasted the 2010 Pingus a number of times since I published a note on it in issue 207 in June 2013, my first and probably the shortest article ever published at The Wine Advocate. I have consistently found it significantly better than when I first tasted it, so I decided to put it together with the latest releases, 2011 and 2012, to compare. The Pingus vineyards had been converted to biodynamic in the year 2000 and after the warm and dry 2009, 2010 was almost perfect. The vineyards yielded a disastrous 11 hectoliters per hectare, and the grape selection provided enough grapes for 6,000 bottles that were obtained fermenting in 2,000-liter oak vats and aging the wine for 22 months in second-fill French oak barrels. The 2010 is extremely aromatic, open and hedonistic and one extra year in bottle has only done the wine good, the oak feels much more integrated and the toasty aromas have all but disappeared. The palate is medium-bodied, with very fine tannins good acidity and freshness. This is really superb, with astonishing balance and power. With time in the glass it develops more complex aromas, with things like orange peel that really reminded me of the Riberas of yesteryear. I think I was mistaken last year, and the 2010 will ultimately surpass the 2009. A Pingus of finesse. Drink now-2025.