PINEA 2020:
Each vintage at PINEA is a reflection of time, place, and the quiet precision of nature. Inspired by the character of each growing season and shaped by a year of remarkable balance, we are delighted to share the next chapter with the release of PINEA 2020 – the fifth vintage of our flagship wine.
At PINEA, our wines are crafted to awaken the senses, create joy, and become part of life’s most memorable moments. The 2020 vintage is defined by its harmony and precision, offering a powerful yet beautifully refined expression of our Cardisanto vineyard. With a total production of only 5,851 bottles, it is the most limited vintage of PINEA released to date and will be exceptionally difficult to access through the general market.
The Cardisanto Vineyard
The 2020 Growing Season
The 2020 vintage in Ribera del Duero unfolded with remarkable balance, resulting in wines of purity, elegance, and tremendous aging potential.
This growing season will also be remembered for the additional care, coordination, and resilience required to tend our vineyards during the global pandemic. Amid face masks, logistical challenges, and concern for the health of loved ones, the vines responded with generosity. Mild temperature variation throughout the season allowed for slow, even development, yielding grapes of exceptional aromatic intensity and depth.
A mild, dry winter led to an early and even budbreak, followed by clean, uniform flowering thanks to low rainfall and steady ventilation. Summer progressed with warm but not extreme temperatures, allowing for slow, steady ripening. Occasional heatwaves were tempered by cool night winds, preserving acidity, fruit clarity, and structural harmony. By late September, the clusters had reached excellent phenolic maturity, with beautiful balance between alcohol, acidity, and tannin.
Labor limitations, combined with our uncompromising commitment to strict selection from the estate’s oldest vines, resulted in modest yields and an exceptionally small production. In total, the 2020 vintage comprises just:
- 5,851 bottles (750ml)
- 211 Magnums (1.5L)
- 30 Jeroboams (3L)
- 10 Nebuchadnezzars (15L)
The Wine: PINEA 2020
PINEA is the purest expression of Tempranillo from our estate – a wine crafted with deep respect for the land, guided by minimal intervention, and rooted firmly in the traditions of Ribera del Duero.
The 2020 vintage is sourced entirely from Cardisanto, our most expressive single vineyard. Perched at one of the highest elevations in the region, this 4.5-hectare parcel benefits from abundant sunlight and cooling nighttime winds. The mature vines, planted on clay-loam soils rich in limestone, produce fruit of remarkable intensity, concentration, and unmistakable terroir character.
Vinification was carried out entirely in 500L French oak barrels – 60% new and 40% second use. The grapes were fermented whole cluster, gently trodden by foot, and allowed to ferment spontaneously using only indigenous yeasts. After fermentation in open barrels, the barrels were sealed and the wine was aged for three winters, developing its signature texture, aromatic complexity, and structure.
With brilliant ruby tones, PINEA 2020 shows both its power and refinement. The nose opens with layered black fruit, spice, and subtle roasted notes. On the palate, its impressive structure is matched by refined tannins, vibrant acidity, and an elegant, lingering finish. While already compelling upon release, the wine is expected to reach its peak in 6 to 7 years and has a cellaring potential of more than 30 years.
“Big, heady and rich but still fresh, showing lots of tarry blackberries, cigar box, graphite and hazelnut chocolate. Pretty full-bodied but also bright and fine-grained with nicely chewy tannins and a long finish. Hedonistic and opulent in style but still balanced at 15.5% alcohol. Drink now or hold.” James Suckling
The 2024 KORDE Collection
Crafted from old vineyards, the 2024 KORDE wines pay tribute to ancestral planting methods in Ribera del Duero, where Tempranillo, Albillo Mayor and other native varieties co-exist, and are brought together in the cellar. Pinea’s relentless pursuit of authenticity and meticulous attention to detail in vinification, result in wines that reveal the purity, elegance, and individuality of Ribera del Duero’s historic vineyards, to awaken your senses and create joy.
The Wines
KORDE Blanc, “El Mochuelo” (24/25)
Produced from two consecutive vintages of Albillo Mayor, complemented by small proportions of native white field blends harvested by hand from old vines. KORDE Blanc is layered and expressive and shows aromas of white blossom, preserved citrus, and a delicate saline minerality that leads to a palate of remarkable depth and precision. Lees aging lends a creamy texture balanced by vibrant acidity, resulting in a wine of exceptional freshness, complexity, and longevity. Only 3,800 bottles produced.
KORDE Rosé, “La Jotera” (2024)
A contemporary interpretation of Castilla’s historic clarete tradition, KORDE Rosé blends Tempranillo with a touch of Albillo Mayor to create a rosé of uncommon freshness and character. Notes of wild strawberry, citrus zest, and subtle creaminess from extended lees aging unfold into a vibrant, textured finish. Only 1,600 bottles produced.
KORDE Tinto, “Los Almendros” (2024)
Los Almendros offers a refined expression of the Ribera del Duero that highlights purity, energy, and finesse over sheer power. Produced with mostly Tempranillo grapes and a small portion of other local varietals sourced from centenarian vineyards planted in a mosaic of soils. Partial whole cluster fermentation and carbonic maceration, result in a lighter, more fluid expression of the Ribera del Duero. Red berry fruit dominates, lifted floral and citrus notes, with vibrant natural acidity, and finely integrated tannins come together in a wine of remarkable elegance and balance. Only 2,750 bottles produced.
KORDE Tinto, “El Castillo” (2024)
El Castillo is produced with mostly Tempranillo grapes and other varietals from un-grafted vines planted more than a century ago in a single vineyard. The vineyard occupies a south-facing hillside beneath the medieval Castle of Peñaranda de Duero – thus ‘El Castillo’, where low yields and exceptional terroir produce a wine of extraordinary distinction. Careful extraction and carbonic maceration result in a wine of distinct character, with tremendous floral aromatics, layered red and black fruit, finely sculpted tannins, and remarkable depth define this singular expression. Enjoyable now but patient cellaring will be rewarded. Only 650 bottles produced.
Jancis Robinson reviews for the KORDE wines yielded scores of 17–17.5+ on her 20-point scale. To put in perspective, DRC Montrachet got a 17.5! Here are her tasting notes:
KORDE Rosé 2024 – 17.5
Gorgeous, deep, vibrant, sunrise red-pink colour. Gorgeous, deep, vibrant wine of sunrise. It really is a glorious wine! Spice souk and roses, sumac and blood orange. So much earthy minerality and roof-tile texture that I wonder if I might need to pry the last drops out of my glass with a chisel and scraper. Bold, bold, bold. Broad and sweeping and fierce of flavour, texture, structure and form. Like a liquid Howard Hodgkin painting.
KORDE El Castillo 2024 – 17.5+
Gorgeous kerfuffle of dust and raspberries on the nose, and then an equally gorgeous but more samba-like collaboration of dust and raspberry on the palate. A carnival of fruit thrums through a 2/4 snap of acidity and a sensuous sway of tannins. Tight tannins, but so very shapely. Beautiful interplay of freshness and ripeness, fruit and earthiness. Tea-leaf freshness and fragrance blowing in on the stone-dust finish. Superb freshness and elegance.
KORDE Tinto 2024 – 17
More smoky, cedary and herbal than the El Castillo bottling. Wonderful crumpled-terracotta texture. Wild rose hips, red stones, sumac, pomegranate. Rust and rain. Tannins like old iron drain pipes runnelling rusty rain off the roof tiles. Beautiful sour-cherry acidity that is custom-made for food – it was so, so good with rare smoked duck breast, but equally good with a simple aubergine, kalamata olive, tomato and caper lentil stew.
KORDE Blanc 2024 – 17
Smells peachy but also a little herby and tropical – if you’d given this to me blind I might have guessed Sauvignon from a warm climate. The way it moves, it’s oval rather than round, the elongation coming from smart, sassy, lively lime acidity. Really mouth-watering finish. Great length. A little fly-by buzz of cracked coriander on the finish.