The new 05 Theia Chardonnay is a remarkably crafted, great value wine. In this wine, Beckley uses 100% Temperance Hill Vineyard Dijon Clone 76 fruit, which he chose specifically to make the kind of Chardonnay that appeals to him: bright, fruit-focused, with just a hint of spice.-ml

When he founded Quercus Wines (aptly named for the oak genus used to make wine barrels), Berkley determined he would run it as closely as he could to how a small Burgundian producer operates, "without," he added, "the family involvement." Quercus is a one-man band.

"I try to emulate the hands-off technique from Burgundy, gently herding the wine to its final destination," said Beckley. "I don't have any delusions that Oregon is Burgundy-it is still Oregon, with its own unique grape-growing atmosphere.

"But the [winemaking] techniques are interchangeable," he added. "They generally mimic what has been done in Burgundy for hundreds of years." An analogy Beckley might draw is to the way a jazz standard is played differently each time it's approached by a new musician. The song is the same, and there are traditional methods with which to play it; the interpretation is unique.

Beckley believes that, in winemaking, some traditional methods are marks of integrity, and that, "many dedicated, small producers of all kinds of reds will use these techniques now."