In March 1760, His Excellency Don Joaquin Manuel de Villena
Guadalfajara Rodriguez de Manzano y Nieto, Lieutenant General of the Royal
Spanish Armada (Navy), was appointed Marques de Real Tesoro (Royal Treasure) by
the King, Carlos III. This was a new title, and it was bestowed on him because
he had defeated a group of pirate ships attacking his fleet, which was carrying
royal treasure from South America. As the fleet ran short of munitions, he
ordered that his own silver be melted down and used to make more. The resultant
glorious victory was rewarded by a grateful king with the honour.
After his death the title languished, and it was in 1897
when King Alfonso XIII bestowed it on the original Marques’ grandson, Juan
Jacome y Pareja, Vice Admiral and Minister for the Navy, who went on to use the
title as a brand name for his Sherries, establishing a bodega in 1904. The
first soleras were acquired from the Marques de Villacreces, wines nearly two
centuries old which were rightly famous. Soon the firm was supplying wines to
the Royal Household. The bodegas, in the calle Pajarete in Jerez contained 5,000
butts, and another in Sanlucar 2,000.
Jose Estevez bought most of the firm, by now called
Herederos del Marques del Real Tesoro, in 1982, completing the purchase in 1989.
He already owned Ruiz, and went on to acquire Valdespino, M Gil Luque and La
Guita forming the family owned Grupo Estevez. He constructed a completely new
bodega complex to accommodate Real Tesoro and Valdespino, along with
laboratories, offices and bottling lines on the old Circunvalacion road
immediately outside Jerez. The group as a whole is now the third biggest Sherry
producer.
The bodega owns 186 hectares of vineyard, much of it in the
top pago of Macharnudo, and a further 220 which it controls. Estevez as a whole
owns around 800 hectares. 65% of the
Real Tesoro wine is exported. The bodegas have stables where Spanish thoroughbreds
are reared, there is also an art collection which includes tapestry and lots of
Picasso, and a bodega dedicated to Lola Flores, the famous singer and actress from
Jerez. There is even a carriage museum.
The firm’s excellent Fino Tio Mateo, once owned by Palomino
& Vergara, has its soleras here, as does one of the best Amontillados, del
Principe, and their Oloroso Almirante. The firm conducts exhaustive scientific
research. They looked into histamine, for example, an organic substance found
in products made by fermentation, which can cause bad reactions in certain
people. They have managed to reduce histamine content in Tio Mateo to almost
nil by a process which is still secret, but at least you can drink this
excellent Fino without worrying about headaches. Music is
played in the bodegas to investigate if it has a beneficial effect on the flor,
or indeed the wine. You can hear it on the website, but that’s yet to be proved, and they are also looking for the
flor genome. Equipo Navazos bottled some of the old Real Tesoro PX originating
from Manuel de Argueso.
There is a basic range of Real Tesoro Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso and Dulce
Then there is the better range: Manzanilla La Bailaora, Fino
Tio Mateo, Amontillado del Principe, Oloroso Almirante, Royal Cream, PX Viejo, and the amazing Oloroso Covadonga VORS.
This is a really good bodega to visit as there’s lots to
see. They offer weddings, baptisms etc as well.
Address: Ctra.
Nacional IV, Km 640, 11408 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz
Telephone: 956
321 004
Internet: www.grupoestevez.es
