XdT. Un Vino de Culto.                                XdT. A cult wine
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XdT, A CULT WINE.
THE FASCINATING HISTORY of A GRAND SPANISH WINE.

 

XdT is one of the most unique wines in the world.

It is considered by many to be an almost impossible asset to acquire...


Coat of arms of the surnames Coat of arms of the surnames "Fernandez de Navarrete" "Ximenez de Tejada" "Ramirez de la Piscina" y "Argaiz" on Crosses of the Orders of Chivalry of St. James and Malta with Royal crown of the Kings of Navarre. 1777. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


XdT is made by one of the most historic families of La Rioja, of the ancient Kingdom of Navarre and all of Spain, which has been linked to the world of wine for many centuries.


Medals obtained by the first wines made in La Rioja with a trademark by the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada. Among them in the competitions at the Zaragoza Exhibition of 1868, and Gold Medals at the Barcelona Universal Exposition of 1888 and at the León Exposition of 1892. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMÉNEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID Medals obtained by the first wines produced in La Rioja with a trademark by the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada. Among them in the competitions at the Zaragoza Exhibition of 1868, and Gold Medals at the Barcelona Universal Exposition of 1888 and at the León Exposition of 1892. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMÉNEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


The owners of XdT are descendants through 4 different branches of the Kings of Navarre. On the one hand the family is heir to the late medieval Spanish royal dynasty of the Kingdom of Navarre of the 11th century, of King Sancho V of Navarre (1043-1094), whose heirs are also related to the lineage of El Cid (1043-1099) -the famous Nobleman and Military leader of Medieval Spain-.

On the other hand, they also descend from the French royal dynasty of the Kingdom of Navarre from the late Middle Ages, in the 14th century; of the King Philippe III of Navarre -Philippe D'Évreux- (1306-1343) and his wife, Queen Jeanne II of Navarre (1312-1349) -daughter of King Louis X of France (1289-1316).



From this point of the Kings of Navarre lineage, the ancestors of the founders of XdT are linked with the entire Capetian dynasty that reigned in medieval France from year 987 to 1328, including Saint Louis of the French - Louis IX of France (1214-1270) -, and his mother the queen Blanche of Castile (1188-1252) Queen and Regent of France, from where the family also links with the royal family of the kingdom of Castile, which would centuries later reign throughout Spain...

It is therefore no exaggeration to say that XdT is a compendium of historical influences due to the long tradition that its founders accumulate in the very long list of their ancestors, among whom are also the conquistador Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) through another of his lines, and the Count René-Annibal de Roffignac (Angoûleme 1740 -Madrid 1807), who offered his life to try to prevent King Louis XVI of France from being assassinated by the French revolutionaries....


Portrait of the Prince of Malta and Gozo, Francisco Ximénez de Tejada y Eslava (1703-1775) who was Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The XdT brand was born to honor his figure and legacy. Archive of the Marquises of Ximénez de Tejada. Madrid. Portrait of the Prince of Malta and Gozo, Francisco Ximénez de Tejada y Eslava (1703-1775) who was Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The XdT brand was born to honor his figure and legacy. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


XdT - a name that could seem cryptic for a wine - has its origins in another illustrious ancestor of our family, who was Prince of the islands of Malta and Gozo, called Francisco XIMÉNEZ De TEJADA y ESLAVA (Funes. Navarre. 1703 - Valletta. Malta 1775), and who was Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta from 1773 to 1775, the last Spanish Grand Master of the Order of Malta to date.


Another portrait of the Prince of Malta and Gozo, Francisco Ximénez de Tejada y Eslava (1703-1775) who was Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The XdT brand was born to honor his figure and legacy. Archive of the Marquises of Ximénez de Tejada. Madrid. Another portrait of the Prince of Malta and Gozo, Francisco Ximénez de Tejada y Eslava (1703-1775) who was Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The XdT brand was born to honor his figure and legacy. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


XdT is therefore the wine produced in honor of Prince Ximénez De Tejada by his heirs.

The family that owns XdT also inspired the creation of the province of La Rioja, through the work of the brothers Antonio and Martín Fernández de Navarrete Ximénez de Tejada. The latter born in 1765, who was Knight of the Order of Malta, Grand Cross of the Royal American Order of Isabella the Catholic, and Commander of the Legion of Honor of France among many other recognitions and positions.


Year 1787. Certificate of annual wine production from the Ábalos Lands, in La Rioja, signed by Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Ximénez de Tejada, grandnephew of Prince Ximénez de Tejada and Heir to the lands of the Year 1787. Certificate of annual wine production from the Ábalos Lands, in La Rioja, signed by Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Ximénez de Tejada, grandnephew of Prince Ximénez de Tejada and Heir to the lands of the "Fernández de Navarrete" family in Ábalos (La Rioja). ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMÉNEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID.

Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Ximénez de Tejada, born in the Ábalos Palace, La Rioja, in 1759, was heir to the historic cellars, and the lands of the "Fernández de Navarrete" family in Ábalos (La Rioja ), due to his status as first-born son.

Grandson of the first Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada, he would be the person through whom the line of succession of the Marquisate of Ximénez de Tejada would later pass.


In 1787 he signed the Certificate of annual wine production of the lands of Ábalos, in La Rioja, the place where wine was already produced in some historic buildings owned by his ancestors almost 1.000 years ago.
And where - almost 250 years later - his descendants would continue to produce some of the best wines in Spain and the world. Among them XdT.


His great-grandson Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza, Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada, born in 1859, would be a pioneer in the creation of the first commercial wine brands created in the "Rioja" and in Spain. . Brands that the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada would found many years before the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin of Rioja Wines existed.

Coat of arms of the surname Coat of arms of the surname "Fernández de Navarrete", originated in the year 1244, on the cross of the Calatrava Order of Chivalry, with the Royal Crown of the Kingdom of Navarre. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMÉNEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


The ancestors of the creators of XdT wine founded some of the first brands and were involved -a century later- in the creation of the Rioja Denomination of Origin, in the person of Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza, heir to the line of succession of the Marquisate of Ximénez de Tejada, among other titles of Nobility.

Lisbon. PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. From left to right: the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada -called Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza-, the president of the negotiating commission of the Saltos del Duero, with the President of Portugal -General Carmona- in uniform, and the Ambassador of Spain in Portugal. Photo that appeared in the Press in 1927. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID Lisbon. PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. From left to right: the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada -called Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza-, the president of the negotiating commission of the Saltos del Duero, with the President of Portugal -General Carmona- in uniform, and the Ambassador of Spain in Portugal. Photo that appeared in the Press in 1927. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID

It was the same Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza, heir to the line of succession of the Marquisate of Ximénez de Tejada, born in the Ábalos Palace in 1859, Civil Engineer, who held the position of President of the Council of Public Works of the Ministry of Infrastructures of Spain, based in Madrid,

The Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada - Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza - in 1896, founder of several of the first Rioja brands, and later of the Regulatory Council. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID The Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada - Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza - in 1896, founder of several of the first Rioja brands, and later of the Regulatory Council. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID. (Image donated by his great-grandson, the Viscount of Villahermosa de Ambite.)

He was also Commander of the "Order of Arts, Sciences and Letters of Portugal", decorated by the President of Portugal.

Collar of Commander of the Order of Collar of Commander of the Order of "Sciences, Letters and Arts of Portugal" imposed in 1927 by the President of Portugal to Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza, heir to the line of succession of the Marquisate of Ximénez de Tejada. ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza, in addition, was one of the great pioneers of Rioja wines, being President of the Commission representing the National Confederation of Winegrowers, contributing to the founding of the Regulatory Council of the Rioja Denomination of Origin.

19th century label of one of the first wine brands in Spain, founded by the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada, called Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza; descendant of the Prince and Grand Master of Malta Francisco Ximénez de Tejada y Eslava (1703-1775). Archive of the Marquises of Ximénez de Tejada. Madrid 19th century label of one of the first wine brands in Spain, founded by the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada, called Antonio Fernández de Navarrete Hurtado de Mendoza; descendant of the Prince and Grand Master of Malta Francisco Ximénez de Tejada y Eslava (1703-1775). ARCHIVE OF THE MARQUISES OF XIMENEZ DE TEJADA. MADRID


At the top of these lines you can see the original label of the first wine brand that the Marquis of Ximenez de Tejada founded in the 19th century under his name, and that from the beginning earned awards and recognition in the first wine tasting competitions held in Spain two centuries ago.

Among them Medals in the competitions at the Zaragoza Exhibition in 1868, and Gold Medals at the Barcelona Universal Exhibition in 1888 and at the León Exposition in 1892. 


XdT wines, which combine all these family heritages, are today considered among the most unique wines in the world due to their exclusivity and history. 


There are very few things on this planet that are considered unique, unrepeatable.

And one of them is XdT.  


Since its first vintages were produced at the beginning of the 21st century, to the present day, XdT has come to be considered a "Cult wine": something that can only be achieved with a unique combination of history, tradition and excellence in its production.

XdT is a "Cult Wine", unique, elegant, immune to fashion, which is made from the best vineyards of Rioja, in the Sonsierra subzone. 

20 years have passed since the first XdT wine was made, and the brand continues to generate some of the most unique wines from La Rioja: XdT is a CULT WINE and a GRAND SPANISH WINE.


XdT is therefore an exceptional wine, destined to prestige the wines of Spain. 


 

Few people have been able to try XdT since its creation. Even so, both specialized publications from different continents and wine fans have praised in the last two decades some of the distinctive elements of this unique and exceptional wine,


In the last 20 years, it has obtained many evaluations close to perfection, and XdT has come to be considered in the list of the great wines of the planet, being included in:

"1% of the best-rated wines in the world, with a rating of 4.8/5 in its 2004 XdT GOLD vintage."


These are some of the qualifiers about XdT wines published in the press in recent years:


- "XdT, a cult wine",
- “A cathedral of wine”,
-" XdT, tradition and historic ancestry",
- “New wine, historic winery”,
- "Sometimes the history of a wine can captivate as much as its flavor",
- “A surprising wine”,
- "More than a thousand years old in the heart of La Rioja",
- “A more than special wine, surrounded by history and myths everywhere”,
- "XdT is a cult and memory wine",
- "The heirs of the Marquis of Ximénez de Tejada have recovered the old winery-museum which they call "the cathedral of wine",
- "XdT has been a pioneer in the introduction of Spanish oak in barrels..."


The organoleptic characteristics of XdT are very special, typical of a collection wine. Here are some of the descriptions of several of the best critics in Spain and the world:


"The result is a different, complex and especially subtle wine", 

"Fruit tones and hints of spices with a slight touch of wood, it is robust, but kind, meaty but easy on the palate, sweet and rich", 

"XdT is one of those wines that gives prestige to the vineyards of Spain."

Since its founding, XdT has been produced only in certain designated vintages in very limited and numbered quantities.

A wine that has been marketed among very few members of the winery in Spain, and also in Italy, France, Holland, the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.


For this reason, "XdT" has been a wine of such limited availability, that it has been considered by many an "out of trade" good, almost impossible to acquire...

There are various reasons for fascination: the family history that its founders treasure, the unusual grape mixture, the innovative use of Spanish oak, the avant-garde production of a wine, without losing elegance and subtlety...


Whatever element of XdT catches your eye, the quality of a unique, innovative and at the same time timeless wine is probably the most relevant of all of them.