287 Winery Road, SW
Floyd, VA 24091
(540) 593-2865
Interior Foyer (click on photos to enlarge)
Tasting Room & Gift Shop
View from Parking Lot
This is a review of a winery called Chateau Morissette located in Floyd, Virginia. Hubby, Leo & I visited on a Sunday last April around 4 pm. I thought it would be a nice spring drive and since they allow dogs, we brought our best behaved dog, Leo, a little white Maltese. They allow dogs because their logo is that of a dog and they claim the winery was built with the help of dogs, whatever that means. I couldn't find anymore information about that on their website. We would have arrived much earlier if we hadn't gotten a bit lost and taken the longest and steepest way. GPS took us to a private road that wouldn't get us there and we called for directions from that point but they weren't helpful, so we just drove around until we found it. When we arrived they said we shouldn't have used GPS for directions, but didn't indicate why nor offer better directions. We didn't find the employees very welcoming nor friendly. Then I remembered we weren't in North Carolina anymore where people are generally extremely friendly. Another customer also complained about the drive there and how it was a "white knuckle" drive. On the way home we were able to find a less steep road with a 9% incline. The winery is around 3,000 feet above sea level. Note that AT&T cell phones will not work there, but Verizon has some limited service. So do not rely on your cell phone for directions or information. After that stressful drive we were really disappointed with the view at the winery which could only be seen from the parking lot. I found it strange that they didn't locate the tasting room building so that it would have a view rather than the parking lot. On the other side of the parking lot is where the restaurant is located and it appears to have a better view. Another annoyance was that there wasn't a pathway from the tasting room to the restaurant. One would have to drive over to the restaurant and park in the restaurant's separate parking lot if they wanted to visit the restaurant. We thought that there would be appetizers or snacks at the tasting room, but they only had some crackers and chips with no prices listed, brands I didn't recognize and no one was at the register. The customer next to us during the tasting was upset about not being able to have something to eat and that the restaurant closes at 5 pm. There is only one restaurant nearby so we purchased a snack at the convenience store. I highly recommend you either make reservations at their restaurant or bring food with you. They only had a couple of tables out for sitting which I found strange since I've seen photos in which they had many more tables out. We found this very unwelcoming.
The tasting room is open from 10 am to 5 pm Monday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and 11 pm to 5 pm on Sundays. The tastings can be purchased at the gift shop's cash register. They cost $8 per person or $10 if you would like to keep their souvenir glass. Tastings include a half ounce pour of ten wines. While we enjoyed tasting the wines, we didn't love any of them, so we didn't leave with even one bottle. Most of them were low in alcohol content and they were fruit flavored which really isn't our preference. They tasted more like a wine cooler than wine. We also didn't enjoy hearing that our server had not had a break all day and he seemed a bit grumpy as a result. Also, the floor was dirty and Leo was not happy at all during our visit. I had to give him a bath as soon as we arrived home. They really need to give their tile floor a good scrub. I didn't even bother to take photos of him since he wasn't smiling nor happy. He's very shy and one of the employees insisted on petting him even though Leo clearly didn't want to be touched and I told her that he is shy. I found that upsetting and I wish I had told her no. We did the tasting and left. Out of all the wineries we have visited so far, this is our least favorite and we shall not return. See an aerial view of Chateau Morrisette:
The tasting room is open from 10 am to 5 pm Monday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and 11 pm to 5 pm on Sundays. The tastings can be purchased at the gift shop's cash register. They cost $8 per person or $10 if you would like to keep their souvenir glass. Tastings include a half ounce pour of ten wines. While we enjoyed tasting the wines, we didn't love any of them, so we didn't leave with even one bottle. Most of them were low in alcohol content and they were fruit flavored which really isn't our preference. They tasted more like a wine cooler than wine. We also didn't enjoy hearing that our server had not had a break all day and he seemed a bit grumpy as a result. Also, the floor was dirty and Leo was not happy at all during our visit. I had to give him a bath as soon as we arrived home. They really need to give their tile floor a good scrub. I didn't even bother to take photos of him since he wasn't smiling nor happy. He's very shy and one of the employees insisted on petting him even though Leo clearly didn't want to be touched and I told her that he is shy. I found that upsetting and I wish I had told her no. We did the tasting and left. Out of all the wineries we have visited so far, this is our least favorite and we shall not return. See an aerial view of Chateau Morrisette:
Our favorite winery is Raffaldini! Their wines are delicious, the servers are friendly, they have lots of tables, serve food, it's an easy, beautiful drive and the views there are amazing. Do you have any recommendations for other wineries in North Carolina or Virginia? If so, please comment below. Check out my Jolo Winery Review and stay tuned for reviews of Raffaldini & Round Peak vineyards soon. Before you go, feel free to browse around my blog. I suggest starting with my restaurant reviews and then moving on to the food subscription box reviews.
Have a PEACEful Day!
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