Today my friends and I visited the beautiful Chateau Morrisette located in Floyd, Virginia. It is about an hour away from Blacksburg, Virginia and it was well worth the drive. The winery itself is largest reclaimed wood structure in North America.
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| Chateau Morrisette |
When we first arrived we went on a tour of the wine making facility with our guide Ben. Ben was very knowledgeable about the history of the winery. It was started by the Morrisette family in 1978, when their son David went off to college. David went to Mississippi State to study wine making and helped his family's business. While in college David got his dog Hans, who is the black lab who is featured on the labels of the bottles. David and Hans were inseparable and Hans had a love for wine too, often drinking spilled red wine off of the floor. When Hans passed away they decided to add him to the label to honor his memory and that led to the driving success of the winery.
At Chateau Morrisette the grapes are harvested in September. The winery owns two vineyards that only grow native American grapes the varieties are Concord and Niagara. This two grapes are used in the winery Sweet Mountain Laurel and Red Mountain Laurel wines. The other gapes for their wines are purchased from other vineyards in Virginia and North Carolina. However, in order for wine to be considered from Virginia 87% of the grapes need to come from the state at Chateau Morrisette 95% of the grapes used are from the state so it can be considered a Virginia wine.
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Bins where they keep the grapes before they are crushed
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| The larger of the two crushing machines |
Ben guided us over to the patio where some of the wineries machines are located. Ben showed us the bins that they store the harvested grapes in. They store the grapes in these bins because it makes it easier for them to be moved, via forklift, into the machines located on the patio. The winery has two machines that crush the grapes. Ben said that they did not have specific names but were referred to as the grape crushing machines. The bigger of the two machines was from Italy and it can crush 2 tons of grapes at a time, during the wine making season the machine is run 4-5 times a day which leads to about 10 tons of grapes being crushed a day. The smaller of the two machines is from Germany and can crush about a ton of grapes at a time. The way that these machines work is that the bins of grapes are dumped into the drum of the machine that contains a big canvas bag with water and rotates and crushes the grapes. For white wines they sift out the skins and other materials. For the red wines they leave the skins and other materials in the wine because it adds flavors to the wine.
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| The smaller of the crushing machines |
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| Stainless Steel Tanks that the wines are pumped into |
After the grapes are crushed they are pumped into a stainless steel tank. All of the wines begin in a tank. The reason they begin in the tanks is because during the first few weeks of the fermentation process all of the matter in the wine rises to the top and it is easier to get rid of the matter that builds up. For red wines it is easier to leave them in tanks for the first 2-3 weeks because the skins and matter help make the flavor of the wine and the winemaker can easily stir the wine, this ensures that the wine has a consistent flavor. The fermentation process usually takes three to five months.
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| A tank with frost |
One of the tanks had frost on the outside of it and Ben told us that it was in order to bring matter to the bottom of wine in order to get rid of it. He says that the winery does this, and most of the wine industry does too, because it is easier for them to get rid of the matter because it would be unappealing to the consumer.
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| Some of the wineries oak barrels |
Once the wine is fermented some of the wines are aged in barrels. The winery uses French oak, which adds a buttery flavor, American oak, which adds an oaky flavor, and Hungarian oak, which is a more subtle flavor. The inside of the barrels are toasted. The barrels hold 60 gallons which is equivalent to 285 bottles Each barrel is only used for five years because after that point they begin to lose their flavor the barrels are later sold to either the scotch industry or the general public.
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| Barrels in the cold room |
Ben next took us to a cold room that is filled with barrels and tanks where the winery's wines and their cider are aging. The room is cold, though we did not get the exact temperature, in order to prevent things from growing and spoiling the wine. When the winery makes blends they age each individual varietal in a stainless steel tank and then blend the varietals together in a barrel to age. The winery's dry wines only age in a tank. The chardonnay ages in a tank and then is moved to a barrel to add flavor to it.
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| The bottling machine |
After the wine is done aging it is bottled. The winery has a bottling machine that can fill a palette of bottles in 15 minutes which is 60 cases of wines (each case has 12 bottles). The way that the machine works is that it fills the bottles with nitrogen, which is heavier then oxygen, in order to keep the wine good because oxygen is bad for the wine. The machine fills up the bottles and then had another component that adds the cork and sucks out the nitrogen. This creates a vacuum and makes it easier for the cork to go in. The foil is then placed on the top of the bottle and the label with Hans is placed on the bottle.
However, once the wine is bottled it cannot be immediately sold because it goes through bottle shock, which temporarily reverses the aging process and makes the wine taste bad. The wine needs to sit the warehouse for awhile and once it is ready to be sold the wine is shipped out across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, parts of Georgia, and Eastern Tennessee. The wine can be shipped to all but 16 states.
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| Some of the reclaimed wood in the winery |
After the tour we had a tasting where we tasted 10 of Chateau Morrisette's wines. They were all so amazing and offered something unique and different in each sip.
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| The Tasting Sheet |
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| Vin Gris |
The first wine we tasted was the Vin Gris which is a Rosé made of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon,Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Chambourcin (the percentages were not specified). The Vin Gris is the 2017 vintage and according to the tasting notes it had "aromas of raspberry, strawberry peach and open to a palate rich with strawberry. Refreshing acidity and fruitiness linger through the finish." When I smelled the wine I could detect the strong scent of strawberry. When I tried the wine I was surprised how light it was and the strong taste of strawberry it had. It was very good.
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| Vidal Blanc |
The next wine we tried was the 2016 Vidal Blanc, which is 100% Virginia Vidal Blanc which is a
hybrid grape between Ugni Blanc and the hybrid Rayon d'Or. The tasting notes for the wine states that it's aroma has a mineral character and the palate is delicate pear and cinnamon. To me the wine had an earthy scent that reminded me of fresh mountain air. To me this wine tasted like peach, citrus, and pear. It was also very dry. It was a nice refreshing wine.
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| 4 White Grapes |
The next wine we tried was 2016 "4 White Grapes" which is a blend Chardonel, Vidal Blanc, Viognier, and Petit Manseng (though the percentages are not specified). The tasting notes say that the wines aroma is of toasted vanilla and on the palate it has apple, lemon, and oak, and the finish of the wine is crisp offering of pear and quince. To me the wine had citrus and floral aroma. The wine had a strong vanilla taste and also reminded me of blu cheese.
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| 5 Red Grapes |
The next wine we tried was the 2016 "5 Red Grapes" which is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot (the percentages were not specified). The tasting notes of the wine says that the aroma has notes of cherry preserves and fresh strawberries, on the palate it has flavors of vanilla, chocolate and cranberry, and the finish of the wine is long and smooth. To me the smell of the wine was sweet and I could detect hints of cherry and strawberry and smelled sweet. The taste of the wine had a light tannic taste and was jammy with hints of cherry.
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| Petit Verdot |
The next wine we tried was the 2015 Petit Verdot. The wine notes states that the aroma of the wine was toffee and dark fruit, on the palate it has hints of blackberry and dark cherries, and the finish of the wine is cloves and pepper. To me the scent of the wine was cherry and chocolate and the taste was oaky and remained me of a cigar. There was almost no tannins in the wine and it also had a buttery taste and left a dry mouthfeel.
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| The Black Dog with it's current label and original label |
The next wine that we tried was The Black Dog, which had no vintage specified, which is a blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet, and Merlot. This is Chateau Morrisette's signature wine. The wine note states that "every release of Black Dog is characterized by an inviting fruit forward nose, an incredibly lush palate, and just enough sweetness to make the wine smooth as silk." To me the wine had a cherry and jammy scent. The wine had a light tannic taste and was sweet for a red wine. I could taste hints of raspberry and cranberry in it as well.
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| Our Dog Blue |
The next wine we tried was the Our Dog Blue wine which is a blend of Riesling, Traminette, and Vidal Blanc (no percentages or vintage are specified). The wine comes in a blue bottle because that is the traditional bottle color of German Rieslings. The wine notes state "this popular white wine is a semi-sweet Riesling-Traminette blend, using Vidal Blanc for added depth. Aromas of melons, citrus fruits, apricots, and delicate flowers highlight the soft finish of this soothing wine." To me this wine had a floral and melon scent. The taste of the wine was light and refreshing with hints of melon. This was one of my favorite wines that we tried at the winery.
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| Sweet Mountain Laurel |
The next wine we tried was Sweet Mountain Laurel, which is one of the wines that Chateau Morrisette is famous for. This wine did not have a vintage listed and it is a blend of Niagara grapes, which is a native American grape and not part of the Vitis Vinifera family, and White Muscadine, Traminette, and Vidal Blanc (the percentage of the blend was not specified). The wine notes state that is wine is "a unique and refreshingly sweet dessert style wine made from American native grape varieties. Firm acidity balances the sweetness, producing a crisp finish with aromas of freshly picked grapes." The scent of this wine was formal and reminded me of nature. The taste of the wine reminded me of welches grape juice and nerds candy. It was so good and I ended up taking a bottle home with me.
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| Farmhouse Sangria |
The next wine we tried was the Farmhouse Sangria which is Merlot mixed with orange, lime, and cherry. The vintage of the wine was not specified. The wine notes state that this sangria is "made from delicious red wine, dark sweet cherries, oranges, and limes, this festive Sangria is bursting with abundant, lively fruit aromas. Sweet and smooth, with a mouth-waging juicy character." To me this wine smelled like candy and cherry. The taste of the wine was sweet and smooth and had a cherry after taste.
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| Cherry Wine |
The final wine we tried was the Cherry Wine which was made from fermented cherries, and is a mix of 4 "secret" varieties of cherries. No vintage was given but it says that the wine was bottled in June 2015. The tasting notes state that "our cherry wine, a secret blend of four varieties, is a definitive crowed pleaser. A 100-day, cold fermentation was followed by an additional three months aging sur lie for added complexity. Intense cherry notes give way to hints of cinnamon and spice lingering on the finish." The aroma of the wine was cherry and the taste was cherry with hints of cinnamon. This wine was extremely sweet but very good.
The winery had a number of awards. One of the most recent awards that the winery has received was the 2018 Gold Medal in the Governors Cup for their 2015 Petit Verdot. The winery kept some bottles because what is the point of having an award winning wine if no one can enjoy it! The winery's Our Dog Blue also has a 95 point rating from the San Diego International Wine Competition. The Swwet Mountain Laurel has a Concordance Gold from the 2016 Wines of the South Competition. The winery has so many other awards that the list would just keep going on!
I had such a great time at Chateau Morrisette and plan on going back with my family the next time that they visit me.
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Me and my friends outside of Chateau Morrisette after our tour and tasting.
That box of wine isn't all for me! |
