If we had to define in a single word how it is been 2008 harvest, we could describe as atypical. We were being accustomed to harvest (mainly of years 2000 to 2006) with high grape maturations sometimes almost sobrematuration, we had excess of sunny days, upper-middle temperatures in August and Se pt ember. But in this year, 2008 the limiting factor has been the maduration, and this has caused that grapes have had graduations around 12,5-13º alcohol degrees, far from 14-15º of previous years, but with very intense fruity aromas.

Lets make a little memory and lets remember how the vegetative cycle was developed.

We have suffered in Spain one of the driest winter in our history with hardly rains.

With the arrival of the spring the first rains came, lights at beginning in April, numerous in May with the coincidence of the flowering. Besides abundant rains, we suffered in Rioja region two hail storms that affected numerous vineyards. The first one took place May, 13 th and some Rioja Baja vineyards were affected, specially in Tudelilla and Villar de Arnedo. The second one occurred in May 28 th and affected several vineyards in Rioja Alta , such as: Navarrete, Fuenmayor and Entrena.

May, has been one of the rainiest month in the recent history of San Asensio with more than 200 lm2. Not even the most ancient people remember so much rain in one month. These rains along with moderate temperatures caused a decreased of the number of grapes by cluster and also it produced a strong vegetative development of the plant, with abundant leaves and green shoots.

In summer, climatology was not as good as we expected, mainly in August, temperatures were not elevated but rather fresh, reason why the vegetative development of the plants slowed down. Thus we arrived at the beginning of Se pt ember with an average delay in maturation of 15 days. Se pt ember is the key month for the harvest and we were at readiness, in spite of the delay, to obtain another excellent harvest. But this year was going to be atypical and temperatures in Se pt ember were not good. There was dry, ideal weather for the good health of the grape, with rottenness absence; but without a warmly weather, the delay of maturation become more accentuated in some of the vineyards. Consequently we had to select more than, the maturation was very irregular from zones to others and even within a same vineyard there were significant differences.

In order to reach the ideal parameters of maturation in each parcel, the work of pursuit and sampling of the maturation have been very intense and in view of the results we can be very satisfied. The slow maturation of the grape and a smaller production provided an excellent harvest to us, making possible to obtain great wines. However there were other parcels, that still also having little production, nevertheless the maturation was not going to be the expected.

The harvest started in RIOJA, by Se pt ember 11 th in Aldeanueva (Rioja Baja). In Bodegas Tobía, we started in October 4 th , accumulating a delay, regarding the last years, of 20 days. It is relevant to say that in October there were some key days: the 7 and 8 th with weak rains, from 13 th to 19 th high temperatures where the grape mature more quickly, and day 21th with rains of 13 l/m2 that forced to us to stop harvesting in San Asensio zone. In Bodegas Tobía 2008 harvest finished in October 27 th , just before last rains. In Rioja D.O. harvest finished at beginning of November.

In order to conclude we could say that this vintage will give wines very balanced, fruity ( the feature more relevant in this harvest wines is its intense and elegant fruity aroma), with a good acidity, and a moderate alcoholic graduation in contrast of the scaling of the last years towards a very mediterranean profiles. As far as the final color and poliphenols, at the moment, we are very satisfied although it will be necessary to see how is the ageing evolution.

Colour	Kgr.	%
Red Grape	404.298	93,4%
White Grape	28.620	6,6%
Total	432.918	100%

 

Subzona	Kg.	%
Rioja Alavesa	91.200	21,1%
Rioja Baja	120.382	27,8%
Rioja Alta	221.336	51,1%
Total	432.918	100,0%

 

Grape	Kg	%	%
Tempranillo	308.643	76,3%	71,3%
Graciano	32.835	8,1%	7,6%
Garnacha	54.520	13,5%	12,6%
Mazuelo	6.680	1,7%	1,5%
Other red grapes	1.620	0,4%	0,4%
Total Red Grape	404.298	100%	93%
Viura	22.300	77,9%	5,2%
Malvasía	4.820	16,8%	1,1%
Others White Grape	1.500	5,2%	0,3%
Total White Grape	28.620	100%	7%
Total	432.918		100%

September 17th 2008