Open: Year Round
The History of Chateau Morrisette
Château Morrisette is the result of a love affair between the Morrisette family and the rural Virginia countryside. In 1978, William, Nancy and David Morrisette planted the first vines and the vision of Château Morrisette became a small reality. Mrs. Nancy Morrisette stated in 1988 that the winery began as a hobby that soon got out of hand.
David Morrisette is a graduate of Mississippi State University's first class in enology and viticulture. After a brief stint working for a winery in Mississippi, David came home to Virginia and became Château Morrisette's first official winemaker. In 1982, the first commercial wines were produced, a modest 2,000 gallons, under the Woolwine Winery label.
As production increased, so did David duties. Soon, additional winemakers were added to the staff to assist with increasing production work. Skilled and talented winemakers hired throughout our thirty plus year history continue to bring style and complexity to Château Morrisette wines and enhance our original vision.
It was many years before Château Morrisette saw black ink on its balance sheet. Wine production has increased rapidly each year and now surpasses 60,000 cases per year. Our exciting and consistent growth rate necessitated a new production facility. The Morrisettes invested a great deal in expanding and modernizing all aspects of the winery in 1999, from a new wine production facility to a spacious hospitality center. Blue Ridge Timberwrights constructed a unique building from salvaged timber from the St. Marie River to create one of the largest salvaged timber frame buildings in North America: 32,365 square feet with 135,000 board feet of Douglas fir recycled timbers. This one-of-a-kind building has given us room to grow.
Stainless steel tank capacity at Château Morrisette is approximately 130,000 gallons with an additional 50,000 gallon capacity in French and American oak. The winery currently produces nineteen different wines and utilizes production from over 150 acres of vineyards either on site or from growers throughout the Commonwealth.
Château Morrisette remains an industry leader in quality wines and is located in a spectacular natural setting in rural Floyd County. From a 'small reality,' we are now one of the largest wineries in Virginia. Nationally, Virginia is ranked tenth in commercial grape production and grape bearing acreage. The Virginia Commercial Grape Statistical Report shows 4,120 tons produced from 1,730 bearing acres.
