COTO ROSÉ 2008
CALIFICATION: VERY GOOD

The general development of the vineyards until the start of harvest was good, both in terms of canopy development and in terms of health. The most notable factor was the abundant spring rainfall, which ensures sufficient water contribution to meet the needs of the cycle. The main risk of cryptogamic disease came as a consequence of these rains but was kept under perfect control thanks to the professionalism of Riojan growers.

Lower production figures per hectare were manifest throughout the growth cycle. This was mainly due to irregular setting. A lower number of grapes per cluster means the berries are looser, so they ripen better and have a lower risk of disease, and this translates into promising quality potential at harvest.

Samples taken before harvest showed good vine development with very healthy grapes, although ripening was irregular between plots, so selective harvesting was called for. Harvest began close to the traditional date for Rioja —on 11 September in Aldeanueva de Ebro with the Viura grape variety. It became widespread by the second week of October and finished on 10 November. Favourable weather allowed the first stage of the harvest to take place at a slow pace, in tune with Control Board recommended guidelines on the need to pick the grapes selectively so that each plot would reach ideal ripening parameters.

In all, the production potential of the 2008 harvest was more moderate than in other harvests. The final production was 396,6 million kilograms of grapes, 15M kg less than in 2007 and also less than that year in terms of maximum volume allowed to seek protection under the D.O. Calificada Rioja, —close to 405 million kg of grapes. From the grapes of the 2008 harvest finally approved by the D.O. (389 million kg) a total of 272 million litres of protected wine were made.