Liquid Assets

Photo By John Anderson

Dorsey Barger was on the phone, nearly breathless with excitement. She had just returned from Pinot Camp, an "invitation only" annual soirée in Oregon offered to restaurateurs and other influential wine types. She was keen to get together so she could tell me the whole story. We met a few days later at her house, looking out at some beautiful trees, accompanied by her three birds, two dogs, and a cat. Dorsey started off by pouring me a glass of Les Cousins Pinot Noir, as if to bring back the experience.

For those who don't know Dorsey, she and her business partner, Elaine Martin, opened the popular East Side Cafe back in 1988 when Dorsey was a tender 24-year-old. Besides a tasty menu, they have a gemlike wine list, filled with wines that Dorsey searches out like Stanley did Livingston. I know this because I see her at every wine tasting I go to, sifting through a lot of middling wines looking for the occasional treasure. I also know that she will occasionally offer wines to her customers at zero profit, just because she is so excited about them.

One of the wines she had sans profit was from Adelsheim Vineyard, and when David Adelsheim noted her zeal, he told her he would nominate her for Pinot Camp. Dorsey ended up being one of only 250 people from the United States to be invited. She flew into Portland, where she met her counselor (yes, they really treat it like a summer camp), Maria Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyard. That first night, they converged with 50 winemakers from all over Oregon. From there it was like a speedboat ride through vine-land, with nearly every minute taken up tasting wines, visiting vineyards, and eating great food, all under the supervision of the best winemakers in Oregon. She was impressed.

"I love that Oregon is not a snobby mono-culture like Napa," Dorsey says. "If I go to Napa or Sonoma, there are so many superstar winemakers. In Oregon, I felt everyone was genuinely grateful that we were there." There was more. Dorsey was nearly popping with gusto, waiting to tell me the big story. She ended up being a part of something that made international news, but let me give you a little buildup.

In the 1970s, French winemaker Robert Drouhin took notice of the terroir of Oregon, going so far as to say that Americans had made a mistake focusing their wine business on California. In 1980, he had a blind tasting for French wine critics of the best of Burgundy vs. Oregon. A Drouhin Grand Cru won, but the 1975 Eyrie Vineyards South Block came in second, stunning the crowd. Drouhin was convinced – he started looking for land, establishing Domaine Drouhin the same year Dorsey established the East Side Cafe. Now this is what really excited Dorsey: One of Oregon's best wineries decided to try the contest again, and she, along with a select group of 37 of her fellow campers, would be the judges.

Domaine Serene of Oregon put their Pinots up against the Pinots of one of France's most famous wineries – Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. There were three wines from each winery, and each wine was tasted over three vintages for a total of nine wines from each winery. All the wines were tasted blind – not a soul had an idea what they were drinking. The average price of the French wines was $500, while the average price for the Domaine Serene wines was $67, still a lot of money, but guess who won? Of the 18 wines, Domaine Serene took the top eight spots. It was quite a fitting ending to a wonderful trip.

If you go into the East Side Cafe soon, you'll find an entire list of Oregon wines, and an enthusiastic person to tell you all about them. Just ask for Dorsey.