The Vineyards at Dodon

The Vineyards at Dodon are located in Davidsonville on a 555-acre working family farm that dates back to the 1600's. Through various trust and easement agreements with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, it is protected to preserve it agriculturally. Prior to the Europeans settling on and patenting it "Dodon" in 1671,  Native Americans from the Piscataway nation inhabited the property. George Hume Steuart was the first of the current family's ancestors to own the farm. He arrived in Maryland from Scotland in 1721 and acquired Dodon in 1725. When two sisters who owned the farm in 1890 passed away, it was donated to the Catholic Church. Annette Steuart was devastated to leave and move to Baltimore. She was Polly's great-grandmother, one of the current siblings who is part of the trust today. Fortunately by 1929, the Church no longer had interest in the farm and sold it back to Annette and her son that year. The vineyards have been committed to growing vinifera varieties and the winery has gained  national attention over the years as one of the best in the country. That is essentially the short, summarized version of the long and rich history of this farm and vineyard. For the full story, definitely pay their website a visit. Now onto the vineyards and the wine! The vineyards have been planted since the 1980's and the property is stunning from the moment you drive in. The outside is very green and well-manicured. The inside is, I would say, modern, rustic. The staff are ready to help you as soon as you walk in and you almost feel like you are at a country club. The seating is comfortable and you can overlook the property from all angles through all of the large windows. All of the wines we tasted in our flights were great. We started with the sauvignon blanc. We also did our bottle review podcast on this one so check it out! It was made from a handful of different clones grown on the property and aged on the lees. We got notes of grapefruit, peach and lemon, with a creamy, nutty finish. The rose was our other favorite. They used the saignee method which discards the first press so the fruit and flavors are extra concentrated. This South Slope rose was floral with dark cherry and plum aromas, in addition to strawberry and a hint of cinnamon. Don’t miss checking out the sheep on the way out but don't get too close. We hear the guard dogs do a great job protecting  them!