Winery Visit - Chateau Morrisette

Winery: Chateau Morrisette
Location: Floyd, Virginia
Date Opened: 1978

The tasting room, all wine production facilities a store, and upstairs private room for events.

Chateau Morrisette is an hour away from Blacksburg in Floyd county. One of the two buildings is a restaurant, the second is a large chateau where the winery with tasting rooms are located.

Production:
Due to high elevation, the winery is unable to grow many grapes of its own. Mostly native varieties such as concord and Niagara grapes are grown here. The grapes are brought in through crates, and are then crushed outside in a machine and then brought inside where they ferment in steel vats. They are aged in steel or oak barrels. Oak barrels are made from French or American oak. Those aged for longer periods are put in the “angel room.”It's called the angel room because a small amount of wine evaporated during the aging process for the "angels.”

The wine filter that removes sediment.

Red wines are fermented in the tanks on the right, with larger doors. This is to allow removal of skins and stems. White wines are fermented on the left side with the smaller doors.

Machine that labels the wine.

One of their oak barrels. The barrels indicate the type of wine, the year, and has their logo

Tastings:

1) Vin Gris: tannic, sparkly, dry, raspberry

2) 2015 Viognier: light, grassy, apricot, lemony, citric

3) 2014 Cabernet Franc: Raspberry, peppery, not very dry, some tannins

4) 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon: Smooth, vanilla, prune, earthy

5) The Black Dog: sweet, very fruity. I enjoyed this one the most and bought a bottle

6) Our Dog Blue: Riesling blend-peachy, spring, light, some acidic tones, honey doo

7) Sweet Mountain Laurel: tasted like white grape juice, more tannic at end

8) Red Mountain Laurel: Very melony and cherry

9) Farmhouse Sangria: Merlot base, subtle hints of lime

10) Sweet Mountain Apple: similar tasting to hard cider with thicker texture, a little lemony, very light and springy