We are just beginning to pick the first grapes of the 2005 harvest, and have spent the last couple of weeks doing daily maturity controls and preparing everything for the upcoming campaign. The sanitary state of the grapes is excellent, and the grapes are ripening as expected. We have already started to pick the earliest-ripening varieties like Garnatxa Blanca and Merlot, and expect to start on the Garnatxa Negra tomorrow.

The vegetative cycle of 2005 has been full of contrasts due to the severe drought that the whole country is suffering. In the cooler fresher areas, the vines have barely suffered and we expect the grapes to ripen perfectly. Nonetheless, some of the younger vines in more exposed areas have developed insufficient leaf canopy for perfect ripening, and we are finding some grapes that instead of reaching phenolic ripeness, are shrivelling to a raisin-like state. Nonetheless, a strict selection during picking, and again at the cellar door should ensure an excellent harvest overall for 2005.