Bodegas y Viñedos Alnardo Psi
Psi is the resultant efforts of organic old bush-vine Tinto Fino, Peter Sisseck, Pablo Rubio and a thousand growers. The de-stemmed fruit for Psi is fermented in large oval foudre's although some of the fruit is made in large neutral concrete vats. The wine is held in neutral vats for most of its 17 months of maturation prior to release. However, for a part of the year, an intriguing barrel-regime comes into play for part of the Psi assemblage. In another part of Ribera del Duero Peter Sisseck is usually ageing two vintages of Pingus and Flor de Pingus in French oak barriques for about 6 months of each year. In between bottling one vintage and beginning the ageing of another, the barrels would otherwise be empty and at risk of drying out. Instead of taking hygiene and integrity risks with Dominio de Pingus’s expensive oak, Peter sends Pingus’s roughly 300 barrels to Pablo for use at PSI for about six months. The Pingus barrels are protected by constant fill with wine. When the next year’s Pingus wines are ready for ageing, Psi is put back into large vats and Pingus gets its oak back in perfect condition. Psi, which starts and ends its maturation in big old oak vats, benefits from part of the blend gaining a modest touch of positive barrel character. Psi offers up spicy aromas of white pepper alongside liquorice, cherry and plum with mineral notes. The palate is supple and accessible, plump and ripe, supported by rounded tannins which, with the minerality, give tremendous focus and direction; a wine of great balance.
