FINCA NADAL DE LA BOADELLA, 2026 HARVEST
An extremely dry summer, marked by record-breaking temperatures, brought the start of our harvest forward to 11 August, while water reserves replenished by three major rainfall events throughout the year allowed the vines to maintain optimal vegetative conditions.
At Finca Nadal de la Boadella, the 2026 harvest was the earliest in our memory. Intense heat and a lack of rainfall accelerated ripening, but the moisture accumulated during the winter kept the vines in good condition, yielding grapes with remarkable concentration and freshness.
Weather conditions played a decisive role
- Autumn was mild, with only a couple of frosts, and ended with a significant spell of easterly storms in the second half of December, bringing much-needed moisture to soil that was still extremely dry.
- From mid-January onwards, a second spell of easterly storms brought a further 98.9 litres of rainfall. Another episode followed between 5 and 11 March, delivering 79.9 litres per square metre.
- Winter was mild, with none of the usual frosts and consistently high maximum temperatures. Budbreak began in late March, within the normal timeframe.
- Spring began with a dry, very hot April. Temperatures returned to normal in May, and rainfall resumed. June started cool, but temperatures rose from the 13th onwards and remained high until late August, with records being broken repeatedly across the region.
- It was not until the evening of 16 September that the first substantial rainfall arrived, heralding the beginning of autumn.
Climate highlights
- There were no frosts at all during December.
- On 12 August, from 7:30 p.m. onwards, we experienced a total solar eclipse at Finca Nadal, making it a day to remember.
- Not a single drop of rain fell between 4 June and 6 August.
- We broke maximum temperature records at our estate: temperatures exceeded 34°C on 39 days.
11 August: the 2026 harvest begins with the Corpinnat wines
We began harvesting Macabeu on Tuesday, 11 August, followed by Xarel·lo from Wednesday, 19 August. Parellada was harvested between 26 and 31 August, bringing the Corpinnat harvest to a close within the month of August, an entirely unprecedented occurrence.
It was a fast, uninterrupted harvest that allowed us to obtain musts that were exceptionally fresh, clean and pure, with sugar levels slightly above average and well-balanced acidity.
Full ripeness for our Xarel·lo white wines
We began harvesting Xarel·lo on Tuesday, 1 September, followed by Xarel·lo Vermell on Thursday, 3 September. The grapes stood out for their high sugar concentration and intense aromas, the result of full ripeness. This is a vintage we will remember.
The best year yet for late-harvest sweet white wines
By far, this has been the best year we have experienced for late-harvest sweet wines, thanks to ideal climatic conditions: good soil moisture until late spring, followed by drought and exceptionally high temperatures throughout the summer.
On Tuesday, 8 September, we carried out two harvests, first Macabeu and then Malvasia de Sitges. Two days later, we harvested Macabeu for a second time. Given how exceptional the year was, we also took the opportunity to produce Chardonnay. Out of curiosity, we have left the Parellada grapes on the vine to gain a better understanding of how this variety behaves in such dry years.
However, the lack of surface soil moisture has not favoured the development of noble Botrytis.
A harvest to remember
The 2026 harvest has once again shown us that vines know how to adapt, and that listening to nature allows us to understand each vintage for what it truly is. A harvest marked by extreme heat and an exceptionally early calendar, yet one that has yielded grapes of outstanding quality.
