What a wonderful post-wedding gift from my stepdaughter, a tour and tasting session TJ and I enjoyed at a hidden gem stashed in Davidsonville, MD, Dodon Vineyards.

555 acres of prime farmland passed between generations, cultivating a heavy lean toward darker wines like Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot still dealing a wet Rosé, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for those with lighter tastes. We were graced with wonderful hospitality by our hostess, Hannah and we were able to sample nearly all of Dodon’s current stock. We were paired with a second, younger couple who had just moved into the area from Texas and were fun to chat with.

The estate is housed in this county seat, and you will need a sharp eye to scout the attenuated, at times windy access road, so keep your drinking checked or employ a D.D. to get out safely. The producing grounds of Dodon have been around for centuries, Hannah informed us, noting the estate had once yielded tobacco crop along with corn and soybeans. At one time, the estate had been owned by the Catholic church. As a former Catholic myself, I smirked, knowing full well the wine allegory representing the blood of Christ during communion ceremonies at weekly masses.

As a group, we all agreed the Dungannon 2019 Merlot-Cabernet Franc hybrid and Oronoco and South Slope (both also 2019 vintage) combining all the estate’s dark wines were aces, along with the finishing touch dessert wine, Salute the Truth. While I’m across the board when it comes to wine, I prefer dark, dry reds the most and Dodon doesn’t fail with those. TJ fell in love with the 2023 Rosé and you can see our preferred blends for our walkaround glass after the tasting session. That’s South Slope I’m pulling on in the second picture.

The Vineyards at Dodon are well-known by Maryland wine aficionados and it’s been profiled as one of the top 15 American vineyards by Gotham Magazine. Dodon is a carbon negative producer, a traditional farming winery where the estate’s sheep chomp down on high grass and their biological waste is utilized as crop fertilizer and compost.

An entirely organic process based on microbe breakdown and regeneration into the soil, which fuse the vines growing Dodon’s prime crop. An old school, nature partnered approach for times where ecological consciousness has become dire, no matter which side of the political fence you sit on.

We were particularly impressed with the vats which were emptied during the time of our visit, but the yield statistics Hannah gave us blew our minds for a considerably small operation. The refrigeration room housing all the caskets of fermenting wine was cool to hang in, literally and figuratively. Considering we’d been delayed by a 3-mile backup on Maryland Route 97 due to pesky road construction, our heated irritation was cooled immensely in the storage area, allowing us to relax and relish a beautiful gift we won’t forget.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.