For years I have admired the wines of Chris Gorman. Prior to having his own winery, Chris sold wines for many years, working for a range of local distributors. He spent 3 years working for a small Italian importer which carefully trained his palate. During that time Chris traveled extensively in the wine areas of Italy, Spain and Germany and finally got the nerve to open Gorman in 2002. The winery has been a small operation, crafting consistently good wines from the Columbia Valley. Chris focuses on the terroir from Red Mountain and works with great vineyards such as Kiona, Shaw and many others. They also make an excellent, broad-shouldered Chardonnay called their ‘Big Sissy.’
The Gorman lineup over the past few years has been really outstanding. These releases come from the 2020 vintage. There is no smoke influence on them, so buy these wines with confidence. I love the 2020 Gorman ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’ Red Wine (OB, 92) which shows great density and range, as this is a downright delicious Rhone style red that will cater to a very broad range of palates. Even better is the concentrated 2019 Gorman ‘Big Sissy’ Chardonnay (OB, 93) which is seamless and dense, with terrific length This Chardonnay really has some good cellaring potential. Learn more about these fantastic new wines at gormanwinery.com. Here are the great new wines by Chris Gorman and his Gorman Winery.
2021 Gorman ‘Louanne’ White Wine- The 2021 ‘Louanne’ is a fabulous field blend of Rhone varietals, coming from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. This shows seriously good range from green apple to pineapple and bright minerals on the palate. Ripe and unctuous, with a good mineral backbone, enjoy now and over the next five to seven years. Drink 2022-2028- 92
2021 Gorman ‘Big Sissy’ Chardonnay- The 2021 Gorman ‘Big Sissy’ Chardonnay is a rich and unctuous effort that is absolutely delicious to consume right now. On the nose this takes on layers of macadamia nut and white peach alongside ripe pineapple on the nose. The palate is deep and layered with terrific texture and length. Not for the weary, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2020 Gorman ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’ Red Wine- Deep and layered, the 2020 Gorman ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’ Red Wine is a delicious blend of 45% Syrah, 41% Grenache, 4% Mourvedre. Right away this displays decadent red and dark fruits with milk chocolate flavors. Finishing long with black fruits and minerals, consume now and over the next eight years. Drink 2022-2030- 92
2021 Gorman ‘The Devil Makes Three’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 Gorman ‘The Devil Makes Three’ Red Wine is a Columbia Valley based bottling that offers juicy violets and black cherry notes alongside shades of tar on the palate. Delicious to consume now, enjoy over the next five plus years. Drink 2022-2027- 90
2020 Gorman ‘Zachary’s Ladder’ Red Wine- The outstanding 2020 Gorman ‘Zachary’s Ladder’ Red Wine is mainly comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon with small parts Syrah and Petit Verdot. Inky and deeply colored in the glass, this 2020 Red Mountain wine yields tar and mocha with green bell pepper and creme de violette on the palate. Showing a good mineral backbone, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2020 Gorman ‘Pixie’ Syrah- Complex and really delicious to consume right now, the 2020 Gorman ‘Pixie’ Syrah is a stunning and intense wine that offers great flavor density and flavor range. Immediately gratifying once opened, this shows off smoked meats with violets, black tea and blackberry compote tones on the nose. The palate is deep and inky with serious concentration and good underlying acidity. Fantastic now, enjoy over the next ten years. Drink 2022-2032- 94
2019 Gorman ‘Sleeping Giant’ Syrah- The 2019 Gorman ‘Sleeping Giant’ Syrah comes entirely sourced from the Boushey Vineyard, and revels in its ripe blackberries with Earl Grey tea aromas with loamy soils and bacon fat notes. Soft and very approachable, this shows intense dark fruit flavors with good viscosity and underlying acidity. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2020 Gorman ‘Old Scratch’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2020 ‘Old Scratch’ offers medium to full-bodied blackberry and black tea aromas alongside cocoa powder and espresso grounds on the palate. Enjoy now and over the next seven years to come. Drink 2022-2029- 92
2020 Gorman ‘The Bully’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The outstanding 2020 Gorman ‘The Bully’ Cabernet Sauvignon is soft and beautifully textured upon entry. With refined tannins this offers ripe huckleberry and black cherry cordial alongside Turkish coffee with scorched earth on the palate. Drink 2022-2032- 93