Laughing Stock Syrah

2008 Vintage
July 2010

This is a Côte Rôtie style Syrah from Laughing Stock Vineyards meaning it’s a blend of Syrah and up to 20% Viognier. Côte Rôtie allegedly means “roasted slope” and refers to the long hours of sun exposure that the hills of the Northern Rhône Valley receives. It sounds a little similar to the Naramata Bench where it’s Eastern situation brings long hours of sunshine. This particular blend is 92% Syrah and 8% Viognier.

It seems like there are a bunch of Syrah/Viognier blends popping up around the Okanagan — particularly on the Naramata Bench, and Laughing Stock, as always, is on the leading edge.

On first whiff of this one I picked up something distinct from my childhood — waffle cone. This almost sounds like wine tasting blasphemy, but I like waffle cones, so who cares! Just to be sure I checked the next day, and it was still there, so either I’ve lost my marbles, spent too much time in an ice cream shop, or some combination of the two. Hey, I do live in the Okanagan.

Aside from the waffle, the nose brings around aromas of black pepper, tobacco, and a decent amount of alcohol as witnessed by my tingling nostrils.

In the mouth there’s some nice cherry, a little toasted oak (aka waffle cone), and some plum. I think if I had done this tasting blind I might have mistaken it for a Malbec, but that could be my inexperience with Côte Rôtie wines. Overall this wine is nice. It’s got a rich purple colour, medium body, medium but firm tannins, and some nice plum lingering on the back end.

At $34 this one doesn’t come cheap, but it’s certainly not out of line. I might cellar this one for another year or two, but would likely just drink it soon. Pair with a wide range of meats and poultry dishes to round out a nice meal.