2021 Rioja & Spain Vintage

2021 was a year shaped by occasional adverse weather that, far from compromising final quality, tested the sector's ability to respond. A radiation frost in mid-April affected some vineyards in the appellation, and storms in the first days of June, some of them with hail, required precise vineyard management. Bud break was moderate but fertile, with a fertility index of 1.34, and isolated spots of powdery and downy mildew of no special relevance were kept under control by favorable weather and appropriate treatments. The summer went by without significant rain, favoring steady ripening and excellent grape health, and by the end of August some vineyards showed mild signs of water stress. The 23 August check in the first maturation bulletin, covering Rioja Oriental only, estimated ripening one week behind the previous campaign, with some symptoms of water stress and heat stroke in specific areas that did not hold ripening back, and smaller, looser bunches. Rain in early September offset some of the drought conditions experienced earlier in the year, and Decanter's Beth Willard described the season as "Warm days, cool nights, a slow growing season". The September rain, somewhat above usual, raised bunch weight and the final volume without harming grape health, and October ran in ideal ripening conditions. Harvest began on 25 August in a Tempranillo Blanco plot in Aldeanueva de Ebro and ended on 6 November in a Viura plot in Laguardia, peaking on 2 October with more than 23 million kilos picked in a single day. In the words of the director of the Consejo's Órgano de Control, the long harvest period favored phenolic ripening without acceleration and allowed truly selective picking. In all, 413.8 million kilos were harvested and received in 582 wineries.

• April: a radiation frost in mid-April affected some vineyards
• June: storms in the first days of the month, some with hail
• Summer: no significant rain; mild water stress in some vineyards by late August
• September: somewhat rainier than usual, raising bunch weight; harvest 25 August to 6 November

The Consejo Regulador rated 2021 "Muy Buena" (Very Good) after analyzing 5,025 samples collected between December 2021 and February 2022; a panel of 120 tasting professionals gave more than 25,000 sensory assessments. It was the third high-level rating in a row, after "Muy Buena" in 2020 and "Excelente" (Excellent) in 2019. Decanter's Beth Willard noted that the consejo classified 2021 only as Very Good rather than its top rating, Excellent, which she put down as most likely due to the June hail, which caused some damage and lowered yields in some parts of the region. The diversity of conditions across Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental enriched, as usual, the final palette of the wines. 281.64 million liters qualified, 242.24 million of them red.

• Official rating: "Muy Buena" (Very Good); 2020 was also "Muy Buena" and 2019 "Excelente"
• Assessment: 5,025 samples, a panel of 120 professionals, more than 25,000 sensory assessments
• Grapes harvested: 413.8 million kilos, received in 582 wineries
• Qualified wine: 281.64 million liters (242.24 million red)

The Consejo credits the wines with a notable polyphenolic load and tannins of great oenological potential, reflecting the extraordinary ripening achieved, and calls 2021 a harvest of solid structure, marked territorial identity and complex aromatics. It singles out the reds for intense color and aromatic complexity, and the whites and rosados for excellent aromatic definition, good freshness and balanced acidity. In Decanter, Willard wrote of "impressive muscle and elegant acidity" and "a vintage that will reward patience". Julio Sáenz, head winemaker at La Rioja Alta, told Decanter that the vintage the generation before his talked about was 1964 and the great one for his generation was 2001, and that for 2021 "many people believe that it could rival those two great years". Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, owner of Marqués de Murrieta, said: "You have the elegance of 2020 and the muscle of 2019."

• Reds: intense color, complex aromas and tannins of great oenological potential
• Whites and rosados: excellent aromatic definition, good freshness, balanced acidity
• Decanter: "impressive muscle and elegant acidity"; built for the long haul