All vintages from 1890

In southern wine-producing areas, wines of homogeneous quality are achieved year after year; light and rainfall are usually constant over the years.

On the other hand, in marginal areas such as the Rioja, quality can attain very defined characteristics; in some years superb wines can be obtained. But the climate in marginal areas is very complex and therefore the quality of the wines is sometimes extremely variable. For example, we might mention the case of Haro, lying in the heart of the area beside the River Oja, and at the centre of the Rioja. Statistically Haro produces figures for average alcohol levels in its wines at 12°, while in 1972 they only achieved 7° and in 1981, 14.5°.

Occasionally, climatic conditions coincide giving rise to grapes with strong colour, fixed acidity and alcohol level, resulting in excellent quality. These are the great vintages or "millesimes" (as expressed in French).

There is a relationship between quantity, quality and climate which is not straightforward but has interesting aspects. The following data shows the year, quality, quantity, vegetative cycle and spring frosts.

We understand the term vegetative cycle as a period with an average temperature of above 10°C. Normally, this occurs from April 1st to October 15th and consists of 195 days. The longer this period lasts, the greater the possibility of producing a harvest of excellent quality.

The most important conclusions are as follows:

1. The best quality vintages produce high quantities of grapes and poor quality vintages mean low yields. Examples of the best are the 1964, 1985 and 1989 vintages.

2. There is no pattern in the appearance of excellent harvests. We can deduce that there does not seem to be any truth in the popular invocation of "change in climate" and that we are entering a "golden age". Vegetative cycles are increasing in length and this means better quality. From 1970 to 1980 there were few excellent harvests. As of 1980, quality has improved generally and it is difficult to name a bad harvest year. Perhaps the harvest of 1984 was not ideal, but in no way was it as poor as harvests of the previous decade.

SYNTHESIS OF DATA OF THE REGULATING COUNCIL OF THE APPELLATION OF ORIGIN OF LA RIOJA, MANUEL RUIZ HERNANDEZ AND JOAQUIN DE ENTREAMBASAGUAS, CARRIED OUT BY MANUEL RUIZ HERNANDEZ.

1890	VERY GOOD
1891	MEDIOCRE
1892	GOOD
1893	VERY GOOD	Very low yields.
1894	EXCELLENT
1895	VERY GOOD	Good ripening except for Garnacha.
1896	DEFICIENT	"Green" wines due to insufficient ripening. The Rioja Alavesa, can be considered GOOD.
1897	EXCELLENT	In general, wines with very good colour
1898	EXCELLENT	Perfect ripening in the Rioja Alavesa.
1899	VERY GOOD	Wines with high fixed acidity.
1900	MEDIOCRE	Poor ripening.
1901	VERY GOOD	Balanced wines.
1902	GOOD	Moderate alcohol and low fixed acidity
1903	GOOD	Low yields.
1904	VERY GOOD	Very balanced wines. In Haro, high alcohol level.
1905	VERY GOOD	Low yields.
1906	EXCELLENT	Very good balance between high alcohol and acidity.
1907	VERY GOOD	Violent storm in Haro in July. High alcohol level.
1908	MEDIOCRE	Production generally very low. Hail storm in August. Wines with low alcohol level. In the Rioja Alavesa, GOOD. Frosts in April.
1909	GOOD	Very low yields per hectare of Tempranillo. Mildew and oidium attacks. Frosts in May and wet August.
1910	MEDIOCRE	Very deficient ripening. Heavy frosts in April. Very wet August.
1911	MEDIOCRE	Mildew attack in August. Snow in April. Hail storm in Haro on June 8th. Hot, wet summer. 194-day cycle.
1912	DEFICIENT	Deficient ripening. Cold spring about 0° C. Dry summer and rainy September.
1913	GOOD	Tempranillo poor in acidity. Low production. Heavy frosts in April. Dry July.
1914	MEDIOCRE	Very bad flower fertilization. Few grapes and poor ripening. Very dry summer.
1915	MEDIOCRE	Mildew attack. In the Rioja Alavesa VERY GOOD quality. Dry summer and rain only in September. bre.
1916	MEDIOCRE	Poor ripening of Tempranillo. 220-day cycle. Abnormal leaf growth in April. Dry summer, cool September and hot Autumn.
1917	GOOD
1918	GOOD
1919	VERY GOOD	Very good ripening.
1920	EXCELLENT	Wines with high alcohol and intense colour.
1921	GOOD	Heavy oidium attack. Strong easterly winds.
1922	EXCELLENT	Very well-balanced wines. High yields.
1923	MEDIOCRE	In the area specifically around Haro, GOOD.
1924	EXCELLENT	High yields per hectare.
1925	VERY GOOD	High yields per hectare.
1926	DEFICIENT	Tempranillo excellent in Haro. Very low yields overall.
1927	DEFICIENT	Heavy mildew attack.
1928	VERY GOOD	210-day cycle. Winds predominantly from the North-East. Frosts during harvest. Tempranillo with very low acidity.
1929	MEDIOCRE	Irregular wines, some very good. Excellent ripening of Tempranillo. High production.
1930	DEFICIENT	Deficient ripening. High production.
1931	VERY GOOD	Wines with high alcohol. In some areas more than 15°.
1932	MEDIOCRE	Low alcohol. Mildew attack
1933	MEDIOCRE	Very irregular wines, with moderate alcohol. Low yields.
1934	EXCELLENT	Alcohol level not very high, but very well-balanced wines. Yields per hectare very high.
1935	VERY GOOD	Very well-structured wines with high alcohol.
1936	MEDIOCRE	Very low alcohol. Mildew attack. Low yields.
1937	MEDIOCRE	Low alcohol level. Extreme drought. High yields.
1938	DEFICIENT	Irregular harvest. In some areas, the wine was very good.
1939	MEDIOCRE	High yields per hectare. 190-day cycle. Moderate alcohol. Mildew attack.
1940	MEDIOCRE	Low yields. Mildew attack.
1941	GOOD	Moderate yields. 530 l/m.2 of rain during the year. Spring frosts.
1942	VERY GOOD	210-day cycle. Annual rainfall of 476 l/m.2. Wet summer. Wines with high alcohol and strong colour.
1943	GOOD	High yields. Annual rainfall of 410 l/m.2. Wet summer.
1944	GOOD	215-day cycle. July and September cool. August hot. Little rain but very well distributed.
1945	DEFICIENT	205-day cycle. Frosts in May and very cool August. Low, badly-distributed rainfall.
1946	MEDIOCRE	205-day cycle. Cold Summer. Badly-distributed rainfall, heavy in April.
1947	VERY GOOD	210-day vegetative cycle. Hot Summer and very low annual rainfall. Extreme drought during cycle.
1948	EXCELLENT	205-day cycle. Preceding winter warm. Some frosts in spring. Rainfall was scarce but strategically, 25 l/m.2 fell in August. Cool Summer.
1949	VERY GOOD	205-day cycle. Very cold May. Hot Summer. The heavy rainfall in August and September brought on a mildew attack.
1950	MEDIOCRE	200-day cycle. Frosts in April and cold September, with poor ripening. Very rainy June.
1951	MEDIOCRE	215-day cycle. Preceding Winter warm. Frosts in April and heavy mildew attack.
1952	EXCELLENT	212-day cycle. Cool July. Very hot August. Well-distributed rainfall, but dry August.
1953	DEFICIENT	205-day cycle. Heavy frosts in April. Cold June. Very hot Summer.
1954	GOOD	GOOD 205-day cycle. Frosts in April. Prevailing westerly winds. Cool summer.
1955	EXCELLENT	195-day cycle. Frosts in April. Well-distributed rainfall during cycle.
1956	GOOD	175-day cycle. Preceding winter very cold and spring frosts.
1957	MEDIOCRE	210-day cycle. Preceding winter extremely cold and dry. Very wet June.
1958	EXCELLENT	188-day vegetative cycle. Prevailing westerly winds. Rainfall not excessive, 410 l/m.2, very well-distributed (100 l/m.2 falling in summer, was very beneficial).
1959	VERY GOOD	200-day vegetative cycle. Frosts in spring and cold June. Widely distributed rainfall during vegetative cycle, although low during budding and plentiful in September.
1960	GOOD	Volume of wine, 133 million litres. 180-day vegetative cycle, cut short by spring frosts. Very dry year. Heavy rain during harvesting. Strong winds from the south.
1961	GOOD	The harvest produced 71 million litres of wine. 207-day cycle. Strong influence of southerly winds on ripening, a hot, wet summer. Warm autumn.
1962	VERY GOOD	Volume: 124 million litres. Preceding winter very wet and not excessively cold. No frost in spring. Hot and moderately wet summer.
1963	MEDIOCRE	Volume: 109 million litres. 190-day vegetative cycle. Heavy spring frosts. Grapes were in good condition but unripe before fermentation. Preceding winter cold. In Haro there were frosts in April.
1964	EXCELLENT	For some, the best vintage of this century. Volume: 135 million litres, when the average from 1960-1970 was only 100 million litres. Excellent and plentiful. 210-day vegetative cycle, including a month of June which was relatively cold and one day of frost in April. Prevailing winds from West and North. The rainfall was 460 l/m.2, but although scarce, some fell in July and August. We cannot avoid having a subjective point of view of this vintage since we were lucky enough to carry out intensive studies of the vineyards in Haro during this period.
1965	DEFICIENT	Volume: 109 million litres. 190-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter mild. Heavy drought with prevailing westerly winds. During the period May-August (four months) only 38 l/m2 of rainfall was recorded.
1966	MEDIOCRE	Volume: 98 million litres. Month of February warm, followed by frosts in March. May and July saw abnormally cold temperatures. 200-day vegetative cycle. Prevailing westerly winds and mildew attack.
1967	MEDIOCRE	Volume 94 million litres. 205-day vegetative cycle. Heavy spring frosts in March and April which greatly affected Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. Very dry year for the vines; the rain arrived after the harvest. Hot summer.
1968	VERY GOOD	Volume: 89 million litres. 210-day vegetative cycle. Cold April. August moderately cold. Summer cool.
1969	MEDIOCRE	Volume: 85 million litres. 205-day cycle. Heavy rain in spring and September. Winds prevailing from the north.
1970	VERY GOOD	Volume: 113 million litres. 195-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter cold and wet. Late budding. There were no spring frosts. Summer hot and wet. Some hail in June. Autumn mild with very late leaf-fall.
1971	BAD	Volume: 55 million litres. 202-day cycle. Preceding winter very cold and very dry. Very wet spring. Some frost in May. Mildew attacks. Very dry summer and ripening period. October mild.
1972	BAD	Volume: 98 million litres. 192-day vegetative cycle. Late budding in very cold weather. Summer cold. Heavy mildew attack.
1973	GOOD	In our opinion, VERY GOOD. Volume: 128 million litres. 180-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter cold and dry. Absence of frost in the spring. Our weather station did not record appreciable rainfall. Very irregular rainfall during cycle. Hot summer.
1974	GOOD	Volume: 130 million litres. Very short vegetative cycle, of only 170 days. Preceding winter very cold, with rainfall of 130 l/m.2. Heavy rain at beginning of spring. No records of frost. Hot, dry summer.
1975	VERY GOOD	Volume: 84 million litres. 185-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter very dry (60 l/m2). Late budding. Wet spring. Hot Summer. Harvest during very hot weather. Heavy attack of Botrytis on white grapes.
1976	GOOD	Volume: 93 million litres. 180-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter cold and dry (only 90 l/m.2). Very cold March. Late budding. Summer wet and hot. Difficult ripening and irregular quality depending on area.
1977	MEDIOCRE	Volume: 66 million litres. 200-day vegetative cycle. Adverse conditions for vines. Spring frosts were not heavy but were persistent, followed by very heavy rain and a cold summer, although the autumn was mild.
1978	VERY GOOD	Volume: 78 million litres. 193-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter cold and somewhat wet (130 l/m.2). Frosts in April, which ruined 20 days of the vegetative cycle. Dry summer and autumn. The wines of this vintage, twelve years later, are EXCELLENT.
1979	MEDIOCRE	Volume: 140 million litres. 210-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter mild and wet. Absence of frost in the spring. Due to the favorable weather, good quality wine was expected until August. Later the prevailing winds changed to the East and South. Strong rainfall influenced the ripening stage producing wines of unstable colour.
1980	GOOD	Volume: 141 million litres. 192-day vegetative cycle. Absence of spring frosts. Summer cool and wet. Ripening with moderate temperatures. Wines with moderate colour but little body.
1981	VERY GOOD	We do not agree with this official classification and consider it EXCELLENT. Volume: 135 million litres. 228-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter cold and wet (130 l/m2). Frosts in April, first with cold winds and then with snow. First fortnight in June hot and second very cold. Up until then, bad conditions for quality but a hot autumn helped to compensate for this.
1982	EXCELLENT	Volume: 125 million litres. 210-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter mild (115 l/m2). Budding in hot weather. First week of July with very high temperatures. July and August had moderate rainfall (18 l/m2). In September, 40 l/m.2.
1983	GOOD	Good wines in general. Volume: 108 million litres. 216-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter cold (150 l/m.2). Slight frost in spring. Hail in May in the area of Nájera, Cenicero and Lapuebla. Abnormal rainfall of 190 l/m.2 in August. At the end of September, morning dew damaged leaves in Abalos, Baños, Elciego and Lapuebla. Harvest picked in hot weather. Wines with strong colour.
1984	MEDIOCRE	Deficient wines in certain areas. Volume: 107 million litres. 210-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter mild and wet. Frost on May 13th in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. Hail storm on September 4th in Villalba, Briñas, Labastida. Loss of 250 tons due to hurricane "Hortensia" on October 4th. Late harvest. Cool fermentation. Sound wine of little colour.
1985	GOOD	Unusual harvest. Volume: 170 million litres. 188-day vegetative cycle. Psychologically, a weak harvest was expected and the amounts produced had not been equalled before 1992. Very good wines in high areas. Late harvest. Difficult fermentation due to the accumulation of grapes. EXCELLENT quality in Rioja Alta.
1986	GOOD	Volume: 120 million litres. 195-day vegetative cycle. There were heavy frosts in April and the summer was dry but not hot. The rainfall during the year was only 255 litres, compared with an average of 450.
1987	VERY GOOD	Volume: 133 million litres. 200-day vegetative cycle. There was slight frost in May. Preceding winter was typically cold and the summer warm. A very continental climate. The summer, besides being warm, was dry, and throughout the abyear only 286 litres of rainfall, compared with the normal 450.
1988	GOOD	Volume: 131 million litres. 198-day vegetative cycle. Preceding winter mild. Excess rainfall in spring and beginning of summer. 795 litres fell during the year. Consequently, mildew attacked, but was successfully fought off in La Rioja. Cool summer. Very maritime climate.
1989	GOOD	Volume: Quantity 161 million litres. Today we can classify the wine in cask as VERY GOOD. 195 days vegetative cycle. Very dry year with total rainfall at 365 litres from an average of 450. A vintage distinguished today (1996) for its body and smoothness.
1990	GOOD	Quantity 161 million litres. Today we can classify the wine in cask as VERY GOOD. 195 days vegetative cycle. Very dry year with total rainfall at 365 litres from an average of 450. A vintage distinguished today (1996) for its body and smoothness.
1991	VERY GOOD	Quantity 154 million litres. Today in cask this vintage appears more descrete than 1990. Sporadic attacks of "acarus". Irregular rainfall. In late ripening zones rain interfered with the harvest giving unstable colour. Total 393 litres.
1992	GOOD	Long cycle of 212 days. Very high rainfall of 673 litres at inconvenient times. Heavy during the flowering provoking "millerandage" or the non fertilization of the Tempranillo grapes. Also heavy rain during the harvest from October 12th. Grapes picked early made EXCELLENT wines. Those picked after October 20th, DEFICIENT wines. Difficult harvest resulting in light coloured and unstable wines at the end of the harvest. The wines were difficult to clarify. Total volume 175 million litres.
1993	GOOD	Dry spring without frosts. Humid summer with normal average temperatures but at unusual times. August was hotter than July; usually it is the contrary. Cold September with rain during the first ten days. The rain was necessary but arrived too late in the Rioja Baja. It was beneficial in the Rioja Alta. Total volume 182 million litres.
1994	EXCELLENT	Total volume 177 million litres. Vegetative cycle 195 days. Hot, dry summer. From the "veraison" the grapes ripened very rapidly if somewhat irregularly, the sugar and acidity in advance of the colouring of the grapes. Some rain in September helping to advance the harvest date by 10 days from normal. Very healthy grapes. Early fermentations were rapid and temperatures sometimes quite high in consequence. Later fermentations were slower giving some irregular results. In the end the balance between alcohol, acidity and colour was very good. The viura grape ripened with unusually low acidity. The profile of the fermentation process was considered "meridional".
1995	EXCELLENT	Volume: 217 million litres. The previous winter had been mild. Rainfall from April to August was normal but July was wet. The weather in September favoured high quality as early ripening at the beginning of the month was followed by cool weather with rainfall which although not heavy was well distributed. Rainfall was recorded on thirteen days. October was dry and warm, indeed abnormally warm, leading to a high degree of ripening. The average temperature in October was higher than that of September. In general terms, the wines were of hihg graduation. Ocnologists have been puzzled by unusual fermentations in which the "turbulent" fermentation was "slow" and the "slow" fermentation was "intense".
1996	VERY GOOD
1997	GOOD
1998	VERY GOOD
1999	GOOD
2000	GOOD
2001	EXCELLENT
2002	GOOD