The Boedecker 2009 Pinot Noir Stewart displays cherry and red currant with high-toned aromatic intimations of their distilled essences, elements which most Oregon terroirists would call typical of the volcanic-based Dundee Hills soils and sites that (along with Wadenswil Pinot vines) dominate this cuvee. Just as in the corresponding Athena, though, a highly savory underlying carnal dimension - here resembling marrow-rich veal stock - stimulates the salivary glands, and a fine grain to the tannin suggests support without interference for at least another half dozen years. This finishes bright and juicy, with added lingering undertones of nut oils. The affable and articulate husband-wife team of Stewart Boedecker and Athena Pappas moved from hi-tech to winemaking; pursued the latter for five years at the Carlton Wine Studio; then moved in 2008 to their own facility in Portland. The Boedecker regimen for consistently excellent Pinot involves - in addition to close and creative collaboration with just a few long-term suppliers - only a few days cold soak; spontaneous ferment; sparing pigeage and otherwise highly cautious extraction; but up to a week's post fermentative cap contact; and regular stirring of the lees in barrel, where all of the top wines remain for 19 months. Incidentally, there is a Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir from this cellar and I can't explain why the proprietors didn't choose to show it to me even though, for example, they showed me rose. A fascination from this cellar - to call it a curiosity would suggest too little respect - is that each partner arrives at his or her own barrel selection which is in turn bottled under his or her name, the latter Athena cuvee - which tends to originate more in sedimentary rather than eroded basaltic soils - being released later based in an impression that it remains both tighter and in a phase of primary fruitiness for longer. (White wines from this cellar are bottled under the "Pappas Wine Co." label, but following an existing Wine Advocate convention - and so as to address wines of common authorship in one place - they are reviewed under the "Boedecker Cellars" heading.) Tel. (503) 866-0095

The 2009 Pinot Noir Stewart spent 9 months in 25% new oak and 9 months in neutral barrels. It is a blend of Stoller, Cherry Grove, and Carlton Hill vineyards made with some stems. Aromas of toast, incense, herbs, spices, cherry, and raspberry compose the nose of this easy-to-understand, friendly wine that like many 2009s is in need of greater depth and concentration. Boedecker Cellars is the winery of husband/wife team Athena Pappas and Stewart Boedecker. The wines are all produced from contracted fruit, fermented with native yeasts, aged for 9 months in a percentage of new oak, and then racked into neutral oak for additional aging. The wines are bottled in Stelvin screw caps in their new winery in an industrial section of Portland. Many of their wines are held back for an additional year of bottle aging.Tel. (503) 288-7752; www.boedeckercellars.com

Light and spicy, this delicate wine sneaks in some tobacco and nutmeg character as the dark berry flavors ride into a gentle finish, which lingers nicely. Drink now through 2017. 875 cases made. -HS