2009 Gorman Winery Syrah Behind The Black Curtain Reserve

Gorman’s 2009 Syrah Klipsun Vineyard Reserve Behind the Black Curtain (the first of its kind, and whose various names I have listed more or less according to Wine Advocate convention, though the nicknames are most prominent on this winery’s labels) offers confitured and stewed, bitter-edged blackberry and huckleberry seemingly mingled with similarly bitter walnut and its husks; machine metal shavings; black pepper; iodine; and crushed stone. Don’t look to this brooding and intense, broad and very palpably tannic Syrah for grace or nuance (there’s already a “Bully” in Gorman’s line-up, and I would have nominated “Brute” to christen this one), but its full frontal assault on the palate is in its way impressively multifaceted and persistent. One of the Gorman wines that seems to have sloughed-off the effects of 21 months in all-new barrels, this certainly bids fair to remain formidable for at least a few years. With a background in sales and marketing, there’s little question that Chris Gorman’s high profile and reputation in the Washington wine community are partly due to his talents in those areas (his web site, for example, is a think to behold), but it’s obvious in conversation with this decade-long winemaker (since 2007 full-time) that the fewer than 3,000 cases he turns out each year reflect imagination, innovation, and determination. The results, though, simply don’t impress me to the extent they have so many of my and his colleagues. Gorman’s frequent rock ‘n roll points of reference are certainly apt (and I harbor no prejudice against that musical genre) but there is an abundance of tannic fuzz and feedback to nearly all of the eight reds I tasted with him that I thought tended to muddle or muddy their themes, and that left my palate rather ragged and numb. No doubt some will suggest it was that way beforehand By reading attentively and perhaps even between the lines of my tasting notes, hopefully those who will be more enthusiastic than I was about these powerful, tannic wines will recognize that fact. Tel. (206) 351-0719