Laughing Stock releases a new Amphora Syrah

Photo: Winemaker Dave Carson

Tell me, perhaps, that I don’t understand natural wines but I always seem to have to wrestle with Laughing Stock’s Amphora Syrah. Literally, with the 2020 vintage. The closure is a great gob of black wax covering the cork. It took me 10 minutes with a chisel to get rid of that gob so I could pull out the cork. Whether you use a chisel or a knife, there is a serious risk it will slip and you will injure yourself. The winery should stop waxing the closures, no matter how attractive the marketing department thinks it looks.

Laughing Stock adheres to Decanter Magazine’s definition of natural wine. Such wines must be hand-harvested and fermented with wild yeast. No enzymes and no additives, other than modest amounts of sulphur, are allowed. The wine must be unfined and unfiltered. Lastly, Decanter says there must be “no heavy manipulation.” Laughing Stock began making small lot wines in 500 litre terracotta clay amphorae about eight years ago. David Enns, one of the winery’s founders, wanted to make some wines with tools similar to those that winemakers used in Roman times. (And winemakers in modern Georgia still ferment in amphorae.) Dave Carson, Laughing Stock’s current winemaker, has continued working with amphorae.

I have not always struggled with Laughing Stock’s amphora wines. Here is what I wrote about the 2015 Amphora Viognier Roussanne: Laughing Stock Amphora Viognier Roussanne 2015 ($20.99 for 167 cases of 500 ml bottle. Available only at the winery, this artisanal wine is made by fermented whole bunches of grapes in two clay amphorae with native yeast. This is the third year in which the winery has made a wine in this style. It has begun to acquire a following. The wine was left on the skins for 5.5 months, compared with 2.5 months in 2014 and just five weeks in 2013. The 2015 is a richly-flavoured wine with honeyed aromas of apricots and orange peel that are echoed in the flavour. The finish is dry. Food pairing? I recommend hard Italian cheese. 91.

Syrah seems to need more time to come around, as I found in reviewing the 2017 vintage of Amphora Syrah. Laughing Stock Amphora Syrah 2017 ($49.99 for 100 cases). First, here is the winery’s description: “This beautiful deep blue-violet coloured wine has vibrant aromas of anise and ripe mixed berries. The palate is silky with raspberries baking spices, and warm mocha.” I thought the wine also had aromas and flavours of chocolate, plum and fig with a hint of licorice on the finish as well as an earthy note. On re-tasting the opened wine over several days, I found that intense sweet fruit flavours also developed. Clearly, the wine needs to be decanted. I won’t even try to score this wine. I did not like it on first opening but I did like it by the fifth day.

On the strength of that experience, I have given the 2020 vintage comparable treatment. Here are notes on three current releases.

Laughing Stock Chardonnay 2020 ($31.99 for 650 cases). This wine was fermented 92% in barrel and 8% in a concrete egg, with partial malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for nine months – 86% in barrel (21% new), 10% concrete and 4% stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of apple, pineapple and vanilla, echoed on the palate. The well-integrated oak adds toasty notes to the rich palate. There is a spine of minerality on the finish. 90.

Laughing Stock Syrah 2019 ($39.99 for 900 cases). This wine is a whole berry co-ferment of 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier, aged 20 months in French oak (35% new). The wine is rich and full-bodied, with aromas of fig and black cherry mingled with pepper. The palate delivers meaty flavours along with dark red fruit, licorice and pepper. 92.

Laughing Stock Amphora Syrah 2020 ($49.99 for 120 cases). To make this wine, the winemakers placed whole berries in 500 litre amphorae and closed the lids. A natural wild ferment began in about 10 days, proceeding slowly for about five weeks. The wine remained untouched in the amphorae for five weeks. It was then pressed and bottled. It is a dark wine with a juicy texture. The aroma opens gradually to show notes of plum jam. The initial taste is earthy, even muddy, leading to flavours of black olives and chocolate. After being open several days, there is also a note of blueberry jam and spice. This wine clearly needs to be decanted and would benefit from another year or two of bottle age. 91.