Winery visit - Chateau Morissette

On April 6, 2014, three of my friends and I visited the Chateau Morissette winery for a food and tasting experience. Kelsey, one of my friends, purchased a 4 person Groupon deal that included $70 to the restaurant, plus a wine tasting. The deal was $13 per person, which was an amazing deal. 

Rolling hills of Virginia

Welcome to Chateau Morissette

I had never been to this winery before, nor had any of their wines. The drive from Virginia Tech was quite beautiful. It's way back in the boonies. We got lost on our way there, drove through small towns such as Riner (weird place) and Floyd (very lovely), but eventually made it.  

Hokie bird Chardonnay

Duck ravioli with brussel sprouts

Since none of us had eaten yet, we went to the restaurant first for brunch. This was a classy establishment, and had an exquisite menu. Our waiter recommended the duck ravioli; little did he know that duck was my favorite meat! So obviously that's what I ordered. And it was delicious. It came with brussel sprouts and walnuts on top. There were only three pieces, but the food was so rich it filled me up. To drink, we ordered a Chardonnay, which was also recommended to us by our waiter (he was a great man). Fairly simple, this wine was crisp with light fruit flavors. It was served at the perfect temperature, and was very refreshing. Overall, it was a delicious meal. After the groupon was deducted, we each paid $4; what a deal!

Ladies and the winery

Selfie!

Outdoor sitting area plus some large equipment

More equipment!

After we were sufficiently filled, we headed over to the winery to taste some wines (this was also included in the groupon deal). The grounds of the winery were beautiful. The winery hosted party and wedding events. There was some large production equipment on one side of the building. I could not tell if it was used regularly, or just extra equipment for show, but either way, it was cool. Inside the main doors was a small store. Along the back wall was the tasting section. Our server's name was Ray; let me tell you about Ray. Ray was a cool dude, who knew his stuff. He was an older gentleman, who had been at the winery for quite some time. He was very friendly, and laid all the facts out for us. We were tasting 10 wines that day. But due to our friendly nature, as well as our awesome server, we got to taste 13 wines! 

A couple facts about the winery. It was started in 1978, and went commercial in 1980. They do not grow their own grapes, all the grapes are imported from other areas of the state. One of their main suppliers is from the Sugarloaf Mountain region; this is where the Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes are planted. The main theme of the winery is dogs. Way back when the winery started, the son of the owner went away to college, and after he graduated, he came back with a black lab named Hans. Hans was an awesome pooch, and became the icon of the winery. Eventually, they started naming wines after different dogs in the family. This trend led to grossly boosted sales, and therefore became a trend. Such wines include The Black Dog, Our Dog Blue, and Frosty Dog. I love dogs, so I loved this winery. Anyways, let's get into the nitty gritty of the wine tastings. 

2011 Dry Rose, served warm and chilled

• 2011 Dry Rose: We tasted this wine both warm and chilled, and compared the two. To me, this wine tasted water, and did not have much flavor. I tasted peaches. It was 12% alcohol, and made of 100% Chambourcin grapes. I did prefer the chilled version to the warm version.

2011 Cabernet Franc, Hans on the front

• 2011 Cabernet Franc: This was my favorite wine we tasted. I've recently been enjoying cabernet francs. I thought this wine had a great blend of oak and fruit flavors. I tasted red fruits and cranberry, and well as hints of oak. But the oak wasn't overbearing. Ray told us that this wine was aged in American oak for 15-18 months. 12.5% alcohol. I bought a bottle of it at $17.99, which is pretty high for my price range, but well worth the money. Highly recommended. 
• Liberty: This wine was a blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. All the proceeds from this wine go to a service dog program to help train service dogs. I remember a spicy finish to this wine that lingered on the tongue. 12% alcohol. 

The Black Dog. This one's for Hans

• The Black Dog: This is the wine that was named after the original dog of the winery, Hans. It is a blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. I tasted plums and thought the wine was mild and had a nice finish. 12% alcohol. 

2011 Vidal Blanc

• 2011 Vidal Blanc: I smelled citrus fruits on the nose of this wine, especially lemon. I also tasted lemon grass. This wine was simple and to the point. Nothing special. 12% alcohol. 
• Our Dog Blue: This wine was served in a vivid blue bottle, which was very pretty. Ray told us this is considered the white table wine of the winery. He enjoys drinking it as a late night wine. I smelled melons on the nose. Ray informed us this wine pairs great with Gouda cheese. I would recommend it.
• Sweet Mountain Laurel: This wine was made from the native Niagara grape. It had a huge nose that I could smell from afar. It smelled of Welch's grape juice. It tasted like grape juice as well, with hints of what I think were sweaty socks. I was a weird taste, and I wasn't a huge fan of it. 10.5% alcohol.

Red Muscadine

• Red Muscadine: This wine was slightly carbonated. Ray told us they cannot bottle it at their facility, because a regular cork will just get pushed out. This wine tasted like a big stick of carnival cotton candy, but then turned into strawberry soda. It had a dry part in the middle, too. It was an interesting wine. I'm not sure what I'd pair it with, but I would buy a bottle. 10.5% alcohol.
• Farmhouse Sangria: This wine was pretty tasty; I'm a fan of Sangria. It has a Merlot base, with orange, cherry, and line juice added. The line juice is was really stuck out, especially at the end of the palate. 8.5% alcohol, I would recommend it.  

Sweet Peach wine

• Sweet Peach: The peaches from from South Carolina and Georgia. It's made from 100% peaches. Low and behold, it tasted like peaches! I enjoyed it though. I've had peach wine before, plus several other fruits wines, and they are all good to try. I would recommend this wine. 10% alcohol. 
• 2011 Chambourcin: This wine was made with 100% Chambourcin grapes. It was very peppery and had a ridiculously long finish.  Ray said that this wine had the longest finish out of any wines they produced. 

2011 Petit Verdot

• 2011 Petit Verdot: This was Ray's favorite wine from the winery. It had a cedar nose, and tasted of plums and raisins. There was also some cedar flavor in the wine. Overall it was enjoyable, and I would recommend it.

Frosty Dog ice wine. Cute label of dogs in Santa suits

• Frosty Dog: This was an extra tasting, because I started asking questions about eh ice wine. This wine has 10% alcohol, and 11% residual sugar. It was a very sweet wine, as most ice wines are. I tasted apple sauce on the primary palate, and then tasted honeysuckle on the finish. This wine is made from the Vidal Blanc and Traminette grapes. If you've got the money to spend on this expensive wine ($19.99 for half a bottle), I would recommend it.

We didn't have time for a winery tour, but we learned a lot from asking Ray a bunch of questions. He was very informative, and knew most of the answers. As mentioned, I purchased a bottle of Cabernet Franc, as well as a wine glass, because it had dogs all over it. I plan on bringing the wine home for Easter and sharing it with my parents. Overall, I had a great experience at Chateau Morissette, and would recommend it to everyone in the Southwest Virginia area. 

My friends and I in front of the winery. It was a beautiful brisk Spring day.