2009 was the third dry year in succession in the Douro and by the end of the growth and maturation cycles in September, we had 40% less rain than normal. There was virtually no rain to speak of during July, August and September, but fortunately 40 mm came down in June and this was decisive, proving to be just enough to sustain the vines through the summer. Although summer temperatures were typically high, they were just below average during July, which helped to reduce the vine’s hydric stress. Inevitably, yields were right down — by one third across our family’s vineyards where the vines produced an average of just 700 g of grapes each. This led to the smallest vintage in the Douro since 2000. The upside of the dry conditions was the virtual absence of vine disease, and the berries reached the winery in excellent condition.