The drive to the winery took approximately an hour from Blacksburg. However we decided to forgo some of the paved roads and instead took the scenic route as we climbed the mountain leading to the winery via gravel and dirt roads! Upon our arrival we knew we had hit the big time. I mean just look at this place! I'm a nerd for architecture/construction and this building did not disappoint. So we went inside and wandered around before we met our tour guide, Will.
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| Our tour guide, Will, told us that the building took over two years to construct and was built with reclaimed
timer from the St. Marie River.
The thick beam running theceiling behind me was originally one piece but had to be cut into three sections for transport! |
Check out some of these photos from inside the building!
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| The chandelier walking in made for a beautiful entrance. Of course wine bottles were stacked all over the place. |
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| This is half of the bar where we did our wine tastings. Bottles of all their wines were available for purchase. |
So our man Will gave us a brief tour. I was hoping to see some of the actual vineyards but instead he showed us the equipment used to produce the wine. This was fine with me though because being an engineer I really like to learn about the processes involved with production. Will had told us that David Morrisette started making wine as a hobby in 1978; however, he could not sell it due to prohibition. He gave much of his wine away but soon realized the great demand for the product. So he took viticulture classes at Mississippi State University and soon after graduating, he returned to Virginia to be the first winemaker at Chateau Morrisette. Anyway here are some photos of the production equipment.
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| This was the de-stemmer. After harvesting, the grapes are thrown into this container where stems and other debris are removed |
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| This machine was the bladder press. A rubber bladder is inflated which squeezes the grapes and extracts the juice. |
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| These giant stainless steel vats were used for fermentation. The vats shown on the right were used for red wines. Those shown on the left were used for white wines but could also be used for reds. |
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| The barrels shown in the photo were specifically used for Chardonnay. The barrels allow for micro-breathing of the wine. The Chardonnay is left in these barrels for 8 months and then mixed with fresh Chardonnay press to create a 4 month blend. |
After the tour came my favorite part - The Tastings. The tasting only cost eight dollars per person! We tasted a total of 12 different wines. The wines included the following:
1. 2011 Dry Rose
2. Liberty
3. 2011 Cabernet Franc
4. 2008 Merlot
5. 2009 Petit Verdot
6. The Black Dog
7. Angel Chardonnay
8. Blushing Dog
9. Muscadine
10. Blackberry Wine
11. Peach Wine
12. Apple Wine
All of the wines that I tasted were considerably better than anything I have tried at the Vintage Cellar so far this semester. I ended up buying three of the fruit wines: the blackberry, the peach, and the apple.
The blackberry wine was sweet and smooth. The blackberry juice is imported from Oregon and processed at Chateau Morrisette. The wine should be served chilled and pairs well with grilled or spicy food.
The peach wine was sweet and contained fruity aromas of ripe peaches as one might guess. The acidity of the wine was clean and balanced the sweetness nicely. The wine had a light pleasant finish. For someone who really enjoys summertime fruit, this wine is just perfect.
The apple wine was delicious! It is made from Virginia apples and is bursting with vibrant fruitiness. The wine provides a clean and crisp finish. The wine should be paired with pork, game, poultry, various cheeses, or assorted nuts.
He are some finishing photos from the trip!
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