At Belle Pente winery, it's all about flavor

It's always a delight to run across a winery you've never heard of that makes a luscious wine and sells it at a reasonable price. It's even better when it makes several wines, including a chardonnay that is neither overoaked nor overpriced and a range of pinot noirs, none of which require a second mortgage.

Brian and Jill O'Donnell entered the wine business slowly. They founded their Oregon winery, Belle Pente (pronounced bell-pont), in 1992 and planted their first vines two years later. The first vintage in 1996 was made from grapes the couple purchased from neighbors, since their vines were not yet producing high-quality fruit. By 1999, both had quit their day jobs in the computer business to devote all their time to wine. Today, they own 16 acres of prime vineyards in the Willamette Valley, the center of Oregon wine country, planted with chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot gris. A decade after planting the first vines, two-thirds of their small production (4,500 cases) comes from their grapes. Their long-term goal is to make all Belle Pente wines from their own fruit.

Their mantra, echoed by quality winemakers around the world, is that wine is made in the vineyards. The O'Donnells insist you need great grapes to make great wine. To that end, they farm the vineyards organically, which helps keep grape yields low. Fewer grapes per vine translate into more flavorful wine. The winemakers inspect the bunches of fruit after they are harvested but before they enter the winery. Damaged or underripe grapes, which can impart off flavors to the wine, are discarded. Their attention to detail works. The wines are stunning.

MICHAEL APSTEIN