New Classic Spain
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At a rather smart tasting last year I sampled a wine
that rocked my world. Fearing the worst, I requested
details of the price of the wine and was pleased not
to feel as though a sterling anvil had been dropped
on my foot.
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My fear over the ticket of this liquid was
well-founded. I was, after all, examining the work of
one of the world's most celebrated wine makers;
creator of one of Spain's best (and most expensive)
red wines.
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The Gen
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Way back in 1990, Peter Sisseck left Bordeaux for the
Ribera del Duero in northern Spain. For years a wine
of that region - Vega Sicilia - had held top spot in
Spain's vinous firmament and I can imagine Sisseck wanting to find out
find out more about the potential of the region and,
if at all possible, exploit it.
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The fruits of his endeavours - the mighty Pingus - instantly thrust him
into the global spotlight. Here was that rarest of
things: a brand new classic. Sell the dog; mortgage
your spouse. Pingus is
one of those "wines to try before you die".
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A second wine followed: Flor de Pingus, a wine we have offered
on Bowes Wine offers past.
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Now Sisseck has released
something entirely new and it was this that I tasted
- an inky barrel sample - last year.
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This is, in effect, a negoçiant wine, since
the fruit is bought in from reliable growers with
whom he has built up the necessary relationships.
Vinification is traditional and new oak is eschewed
in the wine's upbringing, thereby allowing the
character of the Ribera del Duero's fruit and soils
to speak to us with clear voice.
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N.B. Sisseck’s
name, like that of Sissy Spacek, is much more fun to say
with a lisp. What a pity his parents didn’t
have the presence of mind to christen him Cecil; an
opportunity missed, methinks.
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The Wine
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