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Naumes Family Vineyards 2020 Malbec Celestina Vineyard
2025 Double Gold - Best in Class - Best in Show Red
The family that farms together...
This is a story of two farming families in Southern Oregon. Direct competitors in the pear and apple business, Mike Naumes knew that if he wanted a date with Laura Earnest that he’d have to earn it by helping load her family’s orchard trucks.
Fast forward a few decades and Mike and Laura raised three kids (triplets!) and over 3000 acres of apples, pears, and cherries in California, Oregon and Washington. In 2012, they had to rip out a lot of apple trees and decided to plant wine grapes instead of fruit trees. It was Laura’s passion that drove the decision.
Her love of wine and interest in viticulture and enology helped them plant their original 6 acres that has now grown to 85 acres. The old orchard sites were a perfect spot to grow grapes. The family strongly believes that the best way to manage something is to understand every step of the process, so it is not unusual to see Laura out in the vineyard planting, pruning, and babying her vines.
Laura works closely with her winemakers to ensure that the wines reflect where they are grown. And it’s still a family operation, with all three children active in the day-to-day operations of the business.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Naumes Family Vineyards, Talent, Oregon
2020 Malbec Celestina Vineyard
Only 96 cases produced
Fruit Sources: 100% Celestina Vineyard, Rogue Valley, Oregon
Description: Intense aromas of blackcurrant, blueberries and subtle notes of violet and fresh thyme. On the mouth, flavors of black fruits give way to a round, voluminous texture with soft, velvety tannin adding structure and medium acidity delivering juiciness and length.
Vinification notes: The grapes were handpicked early on the mornings of October 7 th , 2020 (the Malbec), 24.0 Brix. The clusters were meticulously hand sorted, destemmed, then berry sorted both by hand and via optical sorter.
The whole berries were gently gravity transferred to a small fermentation vessel (2 ton stainless) and also added to new French fermentation barrels prior to cold soak. The red barrel fermentation provides many interesting features in the vinification. Firstly, the extraction of the oak compounds is quicker, and integrates into the wine better and faster than just aging red wine in barrel. Secondly, the shape of the barrel, while fermenting in the horizontal position, creates a “submerged cap” and results in high skin to juice ratio, ultimately allowing for great extraction of phenolics from the skins of the grapes. The yeast strain Tango was specially selected for this particular lot. Isolated by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology in La Consulta, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. A yeast strain that known to produce aromas and flavors such as violet, black cherry, blackberry, and dark plum. After fermentation, the new French barrel fermenters were emptied, then the must was pressed and wine returned to the barrels for aging. The bin ferment was pressed and wine put to barrel as well. Barrel program ultimately consisted of these new French barrel fermenters at 40% “New”, plus 20% once-filled French oak and remainder neutral. Wine was aged 18 months in cooperage prior to bottling.
Analysis at Bottling: 13.8% Alcohol pH 3.63 TA 6.5 g/L RS 0.0g/L
A Cellar 503 selection in June 2025, Savor Southern Oregon Rogue Valley | Malbec
