From the time the grape is harvested until after it is
bottled, Jason Crolley is testing it to make sure it
meets or exceeds the standards of quality our
customers have come to expect from Chateau
Morrisette wines. His standard set of trials include
testing the pH balance, the Total Acidity, the Volatile
Acidity, the Free Sulfer, the Brix (sugar), and of
course the alcohol content. These are the items you
often find listed on bottle labels. Even after the wine
is bottled, Jason takes the wine to his micro-biology
lab and continues to test for yeast, mold spores, and
the like. "We pay so much attention to testing
throughout the winemaking process that we have
never had a cause to recall any of the wines we
produce," Jason states proudly.
With a degree in biology from Radford University,
Jason found himself working in a coffee shop after
graduation. One of his classmates worked at the
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Chateau and suggested Jason apply. He did, and
in 2006, Jason was working with us bottling wines. A
few months later, there was an opening for a Lab
Assistant. "With his degree in biology and his
attention to detail, I knew Jason had the makings to
be a superior lab technician," said Rick Hall,
Chateau Morrisette's Winemaker. With that, Jason
began his training and he's been working in the lab
ever since.
When Jason is not working, he can often be found
at home in Floyd, spending time with his girlfriend,
hiking the local trails, or out listening to live music at
local venues. "I enjoy listening to jam bands,
bluegrass, and classic rock the most, " Jason shares.
"Floyd is a great place to live and be able to hear
all kinds of music." Jason is originally from Stuarts
Draft, Virginia.
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It's 23 degrees outside, a cold gray
day with more snow in the forecast.
"The vines must be maintained and
we can't let a little cold weather stop
us," says Steve VanSutphin, our
Vineyard Manager. "Bud break is just
around the corner!"
Hand pruning over 13 acres of vines in
the upper vineyard requires a
dedicated staff. Steve and his team
are responsible for the estate vines at
Chateau Morrisette. "Today, we're
working on a system called Geneva
Double Curtain or GDC," which Steve
explains as a split canopy trellis system.
Each vine is a split trunk and each trunk
has a left and right arm. Ideally, each
arm will produce thirty buds. Rough
pruning thins out the vine, removes
dead wood and enhances growth
come spring. "Pruning by hand gives
us the opportunity to closely inspect
each plant individually and make sure
they are in good health."
Harvey Alderman uses a variety of tools for
pruning the vines
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Vineyard Manager, Steve VanSutphin inspects bud
nodules on the vines
Harvey Alderman has been a Vineyard
Technician with Chateau Morrisette
since 2008. He's an integral part of
canopy management and spends a lot
of time tending the vines. "I do a lot of
different things around the vineyard but
working with the vines is what I like to
do best," Harvey said. "Once we finish
all the rough pruning, we'll begin to tie
the vines to the trellis so they're ready
once the buds begin to break."
Rough pruning the vines takes quite a
while but it's very important to insure an
adequate production of fruit for the
season. The vines were planted in 1999
so as they age, they need to be
nurtured to insure a quality grape at
harvest. Chateau Morrisette maintains
strict standards for the fruit used in its
wines, so meeting those standards
begins with Steve, Harvey and the rest
of the vineyard management team.
The cold weather is just part of the job.
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