Alumbra - "To Shine Forth"
The story begins with a father traveling from Mexico in search for the American dream. He wanted to create something great for his family, something that would last a lifetime and beyond. He purchased 30 acres in Dayton, and created an 11 acre vineyard with a dream to till the soil and plant a vineyard full of fruit. Creating wine wasn’t really “his thing”, so starting in 2007 he began selling the fruit to multiple wineries around the region. He produced something wonderful, something for the decades and beyond, but the story doesn’t end there…
His daughter Elena and son Leo has continued the vineyard project and taken it to the next level. Elena, a graduate of the University of Oregon, made a career decision in 2014 when her father had decided to hang up his hat. She continued her schooling at Chemeketa Community College in Salem and became the vineyards viticulturalist and winemaker. Working side by side with her brother Leo creating the 4th vintage from Alumbra Cellars from which has blossomed from 300 cases originally. During our rainy February short visit they were hard at work planting an additional 4 acres of fruit for the upcoming years expanding the dream. Yes, the father still comes out helping as needed cultivating the land as he did nearly 20 years ago.
Alumbras’ pinot noir is free sulfur and very approachable. Barreled in neutral oak the pinot is a true expression of the vineyard. The onsite fruity rosé is a 1-1-5 clone. By lightly removing the leaves the grapes, they are able to hold their acidy through bottling. Elena believes in allowing the fruit to “do it’s thing” with little intervention. Fruit from Naumaste vineyards produces their 2nd year Riesling. Late harvest, noble rot and all stainless steel as well.
This Shining Light in the wine industry might be small and off the beaten path but the drive and motivation behind the name truly shines through in the product. Elena and Leo continue to work relentlessly creating various varietals and producing beautiful wines from the very beginning until finish. In a land riddled with grape fields in all directions, Alumbra will show you what family values can produce with hospitality, quality and tradition.
