A 65-35 blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain, Gorman’s 2009 The Evil Twin displays a massive alliance of stewed and confitured black fruits, tongue-numbing tannin, and a tobacco ash smokiness that could intimidate any Tempranillo that thought its kind laid undisputed claim to that characteristic. The 100% new oak here (in which the wine spent 21 months) is noticeable less on account of overt flavors from wood than in the doubling-down on tannin that it appears to represent and that results in a distinctly drying spot in the finish despite lasting impressions of dark berry jam. I won’t attempt to handicap its bottle evolution, but must first gain more experience with this particular cuvee.
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.
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