RED CRIANZA 2005
CALIFICATION: EXCELENT

The 2005 harvest was not only generous with respect to quality, but also from a quantitative point of view. During the 2005 harvest, there were a total of 59,212 hectares in production (54,567 planted with red grape varieties and 4,645 hectares with white). The vineyards produced a harvest volume of 391.6 million kilograms of protected grapes, in accordance with maximum allowable yields (6,500 kg per hectare for red grapes and 9,500 kg per hectare for white grapes) set by the Control Board for this harvest. Maximum allowable yields are set to meet optimum quality objectives -one of the basic strategies of the Designation. This year, the Control Board Technical Services confirmed the compliance of grape growers in applying the most suitable growing techniques to attain this objective, such as the removal of clusters during veraison ("green pruning" or "cluster thinning") in many plots.

The rigorous approval process -which sets Rioja apart from other DOs in Spain, as befits its special condition of "Calificada"- provides detailed information on the quality of all wines made from every vintage. Each tank of wine in each bodega is sampled, providing highly reliable figures for the final vintage rating issued by the Rioja Control Board. This final rating is obtained through statistical calculations to ensure complete objectiveness. Only twelve vintages have been rated "excellent" by the Control Board since the Designation was officially recognised in 1925. The last five excellent vintages are 2005, 2004, 2001, 1995 and 1994.

The 2005 Vintage approval and rating process began in November. Samples were taken in all winemaking bodegas by Control Board overseers. Samples must be taken from batches of no more than 100,000 litres. The samples were then analysed at the laboratories of one of the DO's Oenological Research Stations and assessed by a tasting committee consisting of three professional wine tasters. These belong to the Control Board's external tasting panel consisting of over one hundred experts. The procedures used for sensorial assessment are strictly regulated and the anonymity and confidentiality of all samples tasted are strictly maintained.

A total of 4,283 samples were submitted before the 31 March deadline. Each sample had to pass rigorous analytical and sensorial tests before earning the right to be protected by the Designation. A total of 273.1 million litres were finally approved (15.42 white, 10.21 rosé and 247.47 red) while 65 samples (1.89 million litres) were rejected because of analytical or sensorial shortcomings. This is a relatively small percentage in view of the strictness with which rating criteria are applied and clearly an indication of the quality of this vintage. The remaining part of the 312.85 million litres submitted for approval was rejected because of excessive production yields.