Morrison Lane Winery

Often, wineries are successful because owner and winemaker march together to the beat of a different drummer. When your lineup of wines includes such uncommon choices as cinsault, carmenere, barbera, nebbiolo, and counoise, you distinguish yourself immediately. Such is the case with Morrison Lane.

Since 1997, Dean and Verdie Morrison have supplied a number of wineries with premium grapes of Rhône and Italian origins from their 23-acre vineyard, located just south of Walla Walla. In 2002, the couple took the plunge themselves, not only growing the fruit, but also turning it into fine wine. Today, Morrison Lane wines are produced from the “Morrison family committee.” Dean and Verdie manage their vineyards and winery, and sons Sean and Dan manage the winemaking tasks. When not performing Morrison Lane Winery duties, Sean is the cellar master at Abeja Winery, working under John Abbot. Dan fulfills the role of cellar master at nearby Canoe Ridge Vineyard.

The Morrisons still use the winemaking facilities of other wineries and therefore technically can’t label their wines as “estate.” The fed’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would slap their wrists. Nevertheless, by any other name, the Rhône varietal counoise (pronounced koon-WAHZ) would taste just as delicious. It actually tastes like the syrup from canned Bing cherries — very fruit forward, yet not sweet.

The Morrison Lane tasting room is situated downtown in the historic Dacres Building, on the corner of Main and Fourth streets. Wine pairs wonderfully with music, and it’s no accident that a baby grand piano graces the tasting room. In the past, the Morrisons hosted live performances and open-mike evenings, but all that changed in 2009 when the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) threatened legal action if the Morrisons didn’t pay a licensing fee. ASCAP is the same organization that threatened to sue the Girl Scouts of America for singing copyrighted songs at camps without paying a licensing fee!

Because Morrison Lane is a small, family-owned and -operated winery, you will often find Verdie and Dean working the tasting room. When I asked Verdie if they had a wine club she noted, “We don’t have a wine club per se, but we do have a baseball bat under the bar.” We discovered that she wasn’t kidding. Under the bar, there is a bat inscribed with the words “Wine Club” on its barrel.

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  Order the book!

  Morrison Lane Winery was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla Downtown WineTrail on page 440!

• 

  Order the book!

  Morrison Lane Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla Downtown WineTrail on page 440!