Winery Visit - Chateau Morrisette

The Place:

Chateau Morrisette

287 Winery Road SW

Milepost 171.5 Blue Ridge Parkway

Floyd, Virginia

1 hour 9 minutes from Blacksburg (44.8 miles)

(540) 593-2865

Thedogs.com

Tastings are $8 and include 10 wines plus souvenir glass.  Weekend tours are Fridays and Saturdays at 11, 1, 3, and 5 and Sundays 12, 2, and 4.

The Experience:

 (in front of the largest building made from reclaimed timber on the Atlantic coast, aka the gift shop, tasting room, and winery of Chateau Morrisette)

The grounds were certainly more interesting than other wineries, and I wish I would have realized that the whole facility was dog friendly because I definitely would have brought my own pooch!  We got there a little earlier than expected so we had time to explore the grounds.

(the wall of the on site restaurant)

(the restaurant, which formerly was the original small cottage on the property and the first wine was made in the basement of this Building)

Unfortunately, we didn't try the restaurant, but that's an adventure for another day!

We toured the production facility, which was actually quite smaller than I expected.  I guess from learning about winemaking in class you imagine that you need rediculously huge machinery for pressing and processing, but a smaller place like Chateau Morrisette doesn't need all that.

 (the pressing and processing machines, named Lucy and Ethel after the I Love Lucy episode where the two press grapes for wine)

However, the storage room full of wine barrels and vats was certainly impressive, and had the most fantastic smell!

 (we learned they actually use three types of oak barrels:  American, French, and Hungarian)

(much larger than they look here)

Also, apparently when they put the first Black Dog Label on their wine, it was only for a year to commemorate the family black lab who happened to love that particular wine and would lick the barrel of just that wine.  However, profit went up 300% and thus the Chateau Morrisette dog wine label series was born.

 

The Wines:

 (ready for the tasting to begin)

I quite enjoyed the tasting, however they moved much too quickly for a true enjoyment and appreciate of the wines.  There were people waiting in line and so they were trying to move us along.  Thus some of the flavors and aromas were lost because of the time pressure.

2011 Chardonnay

Winery Review:  13% alcohol.  Aroma:  Green apple, pear, vanilla, caramel.  Palate:  toast, butterscotch, pineapple, grapefruit.  Finish:  Smooth, creamy.  Oak and steel fermented.

Personal Review:  Pear, apple, then grapefruit tastes with a finish of butterscotch.  The butterscotch surprises you and then carries into the aftertaste along with a warm mouth sensation.  Definitely something that I would like to try again.

2011 Chambourcin

Winery Review:  12% alcohol.  Aroma:  Plum, blackberry, raspberry.  Palate:  Subtle spice, blueberry, blackberry.  Finish:  Bright, clean, soft.

Personal Review:  Light spice followed by just a slight bit of strawberry.

2011 Pinot Noir

Winery Review:  12% alcohol.  Aroma:  Berries.  Palate:  Strawberry, tannins, trace of smoke.  Finish:  Long, hint of herbs, baking spices.

Personal Review:  Nose of berries with the tail end of smoke.  First taste is maybe a spice, with a dry mid palate and lingering aftertaste.  More complex than expected, but still not something I'd like to sit around and have a bottle of.

 

2008 Merlot

Winery Review:  12.5% alcohol.  Aroma:  fruity, berries.  Palate:  black plum, raspberry, complex.  FInish:  Lingering, anise, oak tannins.  Medium bodied.

Personal Review:  Nose is awesome and really interesting with complexity and berries.  However, taste is a disappointment.  Dry and not a lot of fruit.  Definitely oaked.

 

The Black Dog

Varietal:  Chambourcin, Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot

Winery Review:  12% alcohol.  Aroma:  Fruity.  Palate:  berries, subtle spiciness.  FInish:  Smooth.  Off-dry, medium-bodied.

Personal Review:  Nose is spice with a tail end of salt or something.  Not a lot of fruit, but only semi dry.  Definitely not smooth as the review suggests (however, not overtly problematic either).

 

Angel Chardonnay

Variety:  Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc

Winery Review:  12.5% alcohol.  Aroma:  Citrus, pineapple.  Palate:  fruit forward, soft, apple.  Finish:  Smooth, crisp.  Tank and berrel fermented Chardonnay, with Vidal Blanc.

Personal Review:  Nose begins with citrus and ends with pleasant pear.  Finish of the wine is crisp, but didn't really get a lot of distinguishing flavors.  Slight hint of pineapple on second taste.

 

Our Dog Blue

Variety:  Riesling, Traminette, Vidal Blanc

Winery Review:  12.5% alcohol.  Aroma:  Melon, citrus, apricots, flowers.  Palate:  Sweet, firm acidity.  Finish:  soft.  Semi-sweet Riesling, Traminette, Vidal Blanc blend.  Serve chilled.

Personal Review:  Nose of melon.  Sweet mid palate with citrus kick.

 

Red Mountain Laurel

Winery Review:  10.5% alcohol.  Aroma:  Fresh grape.  Palate:  Sweet, cherry, crisp.  Finish:  aromatic. 

Personal Review:  Smells of Welch's grape juice with a smokey end.  Tastes exactly the same.  Personally, not quite as good for me as everyone says it was, but then again I don't like grape juice.

 

Blackberry Wine

Variety:  100% Blackberries (from Oregon, blackberry capital of the world)

Winery Review:  12% alcohol.  Aroma:  Dark berries.  Palate:  Sweet, smooth, vibrant, sun-drenched berries.  Finish:  Smooth, blackberry.  made from 100% blackberries.

Personal Review:  Smells of blackberry cobbler.  Initial tastes are not quite as good as the smell, but the aftertaste if very pleasant of blackberry jam.

Sweet Mountain Apple

Variety:  100% apples

Winery Review:  10.5% alcohol.  Aroma:  Fresh apples.  Palate:  Sweet, smooth, apple.  Finish:  Crisp, refreshing.  100% Virginia apples.  Serve chilled.

Personal Review:  Smell is awesome.  Apple smell and taste all around.  Kick of bitter apple on the finish.  Probably a tie with the last wine for my favorite of the tasting.

Tasting - Caprice de Bastor Lamontagne

Caprice de Bastor Lamontagne

Variety:  60% Semillon, 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Muscadelle

Region:  Sauternes

Country:  France

Year:  2004

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:  Very clean, with lemon, mineral and honey aromas that follow through to a medium body. Shows vanilla, apple and melon flavors, with a medium finish. Lightly sweet.

Personal Review:  Nose of lemon and sweets.  Best way to describe the entire wine is sweet with sweet finish and aftertaste and a little freshness thrown in from lemon and maybe some other fruit.

Food Paring:  not tasted with food

Tasting - Torre Castillo Alegre

Torre Castillo Alegre

Variety:  100% Monastrell

Region:  Jumilla

Country:  Spain

Year:  2010

Price:  $9.95

Shop Review:  4 months in new American oak barrels. Bright ruby-red. Dried cherry, pipe tobacco and rose aromas, with a hint of woodsmoke. Sweet and fleshy on the palate, with blackberry and cherry flavors complimented by licorice and a suggestion of dried herbs. The cherry and smoke notes repeat on the finish.

Personal Review:  Nose of dark berries.  Slight cherry taste and then hit with horrible taste of tobacco in midpalatte, which overtakes and is the entire aftertaste.

Food Paring:  not tasted with food

Tasting - Wilson Daniels Merlot

Wilson Daniels Merlot

Variety:  Merlot

Region:  Central Coast, California

Country:  United States

Year:  2010

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:  Made predominantly from Paso Robles grapes, the wine is fullbodied and silky yet robust, with aromas of black cherry and plum and a palate of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry jam laced with vanilla and toast.

Personal Review:  Peppery nose.  Also aroma of dark berries.  First taste is pepper which turns into a spice and honestly overtakes the entire taste.  Sadly missing the taste of fruit.  Didn't get any vanilla either.

Food Paring:  not tasted with food

Tasting - Bricco Dei Tati Rosè

Bricco Dei Tati Rosè

Variety:  100% Barbera

Country:  Italy

Year:  2012

Price:  $6.95

Shop Review:  Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries, and rose petals, this an ideal wine with shellfish, salads, chicken, and appetizers.

Personal Review:  Definitively smells of rose petals.  Taste of strawberries and cherries definitely there but wish were more overt.  Finish is dry (which I hate in a wine, I like my finishes mid-palate and then compensated by a more pleasant finish and aftertaste).  My first tasting of 100% barbera.

Food Paring:  not tasted with food

Tasting - Smooking Loon

Smoking Loon

Variety:  Sauvignon Blanc

Region:  California

Country:  United States

Year:  2009

Price:  $7.95

Shop Review:  This bleached blonde beauty is reminiscent of fresh green apples, pineapple and has hints of hibiscus blossoms. The concentration of zesty lemon and gooseberry fills your mouth leaving notes of thyme and melon behind. The bright acid in this wine gives you a zing  while the fruit keeps your mouth watering for more. This wine pairs beautifully with a grilled prawn salad with a grapefruit vinaigrette, veggie spring rolls or grilled tilapia with mango salsa.

Personal Review:  Nose is acidic and citruseque.  Tastes of green apples and then what I can assume are the hibiscus blossoms (but I'm not really sure what those are or what they taste like for certain, just got something reminiscent of floral that I am not familiar with).  Finish of melon.  One of the better sauvignon blanc's that I have tried.  Not at all like cat pee!

Food Paring:  not tasted with food

Dinner - Palisades (Wines Around the World, Grenache Blends)

Overall impression of the experience:  The wines could have been better, and the food portions could have been larger.  However, the food was delicious and I am definitely glad I tried it out and really experienced the different tastes of the wines with different foods.  

(House Appetizer Salad with Ranch Dressing

-came out and was finish before the wines got to the table)

I also had a salad, and it was certainly very, very green and fresh but I was not a huge fan of the spicy, peppery ranch dressing that accompanied it.  I would certainly go back and try other things on the menu because many of them sounded fantastic (such as the spicy shrimp, the steaks, and the specialty pizzas which promise to be very interesting).  We actually decided that if we do go back on a Wines Around the World Night, we will get one of the wine pairing platters, order other items off the menu, and share it all in order to have a more filling meal and taste the wines with other items as well.

(The spread of wines and food.  

The wines and foods are discussed from left to right)

The Foods:

Braised Swiss Chard Stuffed Poblano

Personal Review:  Very green peppery, but with much more complex flavors from the greens and whatever the diced red topping was.

Arbol Chili Pork with Rhubarb Chutney

Personal Review:  Very zesty pork.  I would have definitely liked to have an entire sandwich of this.  It made all the wines better.

Roasted Shallot Chocolate Thimble with Spicy Cherry

Personal Review:  Delicious.  Perfectly soft and moist on the outside with slightly harder exterior (pleasant because I like corner brownies but also the soft moist centers, and this was the perfect mix of the two).  The cream on top was creamy and smooth while full of flavor.  However, the alleged cherry topping definitely could have fooled me because I thought it was strawberry (though they was very little of it so maybe if there were more to taste I would have gotten the cherry flavor)

The Wines:

 

General Grenache Blend Profile (provided by restaurant):  The unmistakable candied fruit roll-up and cinnamon flavor is what gives Grenache away to expert blind tasters.  It has a medium to full weight in taste, but has a deceptively lighter color and is semi=translucent.  Depending on where it's grown, Grenache often lets off strong smells of orange rinds and ruby-red grapefruit.  When Grenache is grown in Old World regions such as Cotes du Rhone and Sardinia, it can have herbal notes of dried oregano and tobacco.

 

Honoro Vera

Country:  Spain

Year:  2012

Restaurant Provided Review:  Garnacha from Spain is a whine that usually shows great fruit, but it is still a dryer wine.  Garnacha is very versatile to different palates.  It shows great notes of juicy plums and sweet berries on the palate.  It is not very tannic either.  Even though it shows great fruit, it is not sweet.  This is highlighted by the touch of pepper on the finish.  It is an extremely enjoyable red wine.  It is not an extremely complex wine by that is what is great about Garnacha.  It does not try to be something that it isn't.

Personal Review:  Not bad alone.  Smooth and tastes like a merlot, though not sure about the nose (can't really distinguish it).  However, the next time I tasted it alone I got more of a dry mid palate.

With the Stuffed Pepper:  Brings out the fruitiness of the wine.  Dry was toned down by the pepper making it much better than alone.

With the Pork:  Brings out spice, while adding its own spice to the flavor.

With the Chocolate Thimble:  Contributed to the cake with contrast, tasting kind of spicy in the mid palate and then sweetens, ending with the sweetness of the cake which lingers.

 

Little James' Basket Press

Country:  France

Year:  2012

Restaurant Provided Review:  This sexy, ripe wine dominated by Grenache is an amazing value, with oodles of black cherry fruit in a thick, glycerine emboldened style.  It is full bodied, lush, and ideal for drinking in its first several years of life.  This beauty offers lot of spicy, peppery, black cherry and even blacker fruits along with medium body, a tasty, satisfying style and remarkably low price.

Personal Review:  Not sure about the nose, maybe just a hint of black cherry aroma.  Tastes dry but not terribly.  However, the dry is the largest taste and makes it hard to get other flavors.  Though on a second sip I got the slight hint of fruit in the mid palate.  The more you try it though, the drier it gets, in a negative way, and the dry begins to take over.

With the Stuffed Pepper:  Does not really do anything different to this wine.

With the Pork:  Makes this wine more okay.  Becomes more spicy and less dry, almost on the enjoyable I'd like to drink a glass side.

With the Chocolate Thimble:  Pairing is bitter and takes away from the delectable chocolateness of the cake.

Loose End

Country:  Australia

Year:  2008

Restaurant Provided Review:  To be at a loose end is to have no plans which is a wonderful thing in our busy world.  This provides us with the opportunity to be spontaneous, creative or even mischievous.  This wine oozes charm. Vibrant rose pink in color with the lifted candy aromas that have appealing notes of musk and flowers in bloom.  The palate is fresh with mouth filling cherry flavors which finish clean and slightly dry.

Personal Review:  Very interesting smell that is very perfumesque.  However, the flavor takes away from this intrigue and disappoints.   Strange industrial first taste like freshly made rubber or plastic.  After talking about it at the table the label of petrol was given to me and that is exactly what it is like.  There are definitely some complexities going on after that first initial petrol taste but it is too overwhelmed by the petrol and thus cannot really experiencing them because of the lingering poor taste.  There is certainly a reason most people left the majority of this wine in the glass when they left.

With the Stuffed Pepper:  Less overt petrol mess with pepper but still not good and takes away from the pepper.

With the Pork:  Petrol taste is masked slightly with the pork spice, and while it is certainly better than any of the other pairings with this wine or the wine by itself, it is still not enjoyable.

With the Chocolate Thimble:  Less petrol taste but still not good.  Really just ruins the chocolate--pretty much the same thing as if you covered a piece of chocolate in plastic and ate them together.

 (enjoying the ambiance of the restaurant before we got out food and wine)

 (Tiffany enjoying a nice sip of wine and evaluating it based on her palate)

 (the completely adorable baby mason jars that the bill and a lovely soft peppermint came inside)

 (oh and look you can just put your card inside as well when you're ready to pay!)