The 2005 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard is dark ruby-colored with an alluring bouquet of spice box, wood smoke, black cherry, blueberry, and violets. On the palate the wine has exceptional fruit for the vintage, superb balance, succulent flavors, and a very long finish. Give it four years in the cellar and drink it from 2012 to 2022. Boedecker Cellars is the winery of husband and wife team, Stewart Boedecker and Athena Pappas. They started in 2003 and are currently producing 2500 cases. The wines have been made at the Carlton Winemakers Studio but there will soon be a new winery in Portland. The wines are all made from contracted fruit and bottled in Stelvin screw caps. They also hold their wines back for an additional year so the above wines (with one exception) are from the 2005 vintage. The 2005 vintage in Willamette Valley was challenging with more misses than hits. Apparently Boedecker Cellars figured it out because these are some of the finest wines of the vintage in a style that will have appeal to dyed-in-the-wool fans of Burgundy. www.boedeckercellars.com

On the crisp side, but with dark berry, plum and vaguely peppery flavors that insinuate themselves through fine tannins as the finish lingers well. This is finely wrought and gets better with every sip. Drink now through 2015. 50 cases made. -HS

Shea, as always, is a full-bodied, fruit-driven Pinot with a broad midpalate showing blackberry fruit and citrusy acids. It falls away rather quickly, leaving a stony impression, but is missing the concentration of Shea bottlings from other vintners.——P.G.(4/1/2008)—— 88