Vintage 2002 - The first days of September confirmed the good expectations that we had for the 2002 vintage. The vines had been hard pruned during the winter, leaving only one bud per vine in order to obtain a low yield. The three first months of the year were mild, with temperatures higher than normal and rain scarce but sufficient. Flowering was in late April and, at that time, more generous rains were welcome in our vineyards of Olite and Traibuenas, Temperatures in June were very high for that month, affecting the formation of the Garnacha and Merlot bunches and reducing yields. Summer was cool and dry, which has benefited the creation of very fine tannins and very stable colour. There was some rain in early September, which delayed the start of the harvest and benefited ripeness. Everyday we made controls of the level of ripeness, checking the weight, size and health of the grapes, the sugar contents, expected acidity and the ITP (Index of Total Polyphenols). We can say that 2002 is a very special vintage in Bodegas Ochoa, due to the elegant and balanced wines produced by Javier Ochoa this year.

Vintage 2003 - This year, winter was just perfect, with heavy snow storms and rainfall which provided the subsoil with water for the summer. Thanks to the sun received in our vineyards, the grapes ripened some days earlier, and we began harvest on August 27th with Moscatel. There were no botrytis attacks. The last varieties to be harvested were Tempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon during the last week of September. 

Vintage 2004 - Planted in a very dry land, our vineyards enjoyed winter snow and spring rainfall. These rains, which were regular from spring throughout veraisson, ended up in a mild, dry and sunny summer, which led to and correct and progressive ripeness of the grapes. Harvest months (September and October) were just perfect for the vines and the maturation of the fruit reached the highest quality levels. The bunches were collected following levels of fenolic ripeness (skins and seeds) and glucometric richness (in order to know the final alcohol degree). 

Vintage 2005 - Climatically-speaking, the growing cycle in 2005 was very satisfactory, with a rather cold winter with abundant snow and then a rainy spring, without late frosts, followed by a dry and hot summer with very little rainfall. Healthy conditions prevailed throughout the vegetative cycle. There were no outbreaks of vineyard pests or diseases, enabling preventive treatments to be kept to a minimum. Excellent quality has more than compensated for any shortfall in production. The picking period was quite extended as each variety was collected at its optimum level of phenolic ripeness. The first grapes (moscatel) were handpicked in early September, while it was the second week of October when we collected the last of the red grapes. The fermentation proceeded perfectly and excellent quality was the result.