Information for trade & Media
The Vineyards at Dodon LLC (Dodon) is a vertically integrated vineyard and winery producing wines that express the distinctive qualities of grapes grown exclusively on site.
Key Staff
Co-owner/winemaker: Tom Croghan
Co-owner: Polly Pittman
Assistant winemaker: Kurtis Flaherty
Vineyard Manager: Roberto Gomez
General Manager: Regina Mc Carthy
Operations Manager: Katie Luscher
Client Services Manager: Hannah Flaherty
Consulting winemaker: Steve Blais (SB Consulting)
Location
391 Dodon Rd., Davidsonville, Anne Arundel County, MD (off MD Rt. 424, 2 miles north of MD Rt. 2)
About Dodon
Established in 1668 by patent to Dr. Francis Stockett, Dodon is the largest working family farm in Anne Arundel County. More than 555 acres in total, the farm includes approximately 400 acres of natural forest and six miles of riparian buffers, 120 acres of pasture and hay production, 17 acres of vineyard, and 19 acres of farmstead. There are also small parcels devoted to tree fruits, vegetables, and non-timber forest products.
Dodon is owned by the Dodon Land Trust and managed by Polly Pittman and her six siblings. The farm is currently home to four generations of the Pittman family. The Vineyards at Dodon is owned solely by Polly Pittman & Tom Croghan.
The farm has a long tradition of thoroughbred horse breeding and training, including Dungannon, winner of the first-recorded horse race in Maryland.
About Dodon Soils
Dodon has a diverse hilly topography and sandy loam “Dodon Series” soils that are well suited to wine grapes and wine.
The vineyards are characterized by deep, well-drained soils, renamed the “Dodon Series” in 2003 by the USDA because of their distinctive characteristics. As ultisols, Dodon’s soils age quickly and readily leach available nutrients, including nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium. These characteristics make them marginal soils for most agricultural crops, but they are suitable for grapes and impart distinctive balance, aromatics, minerality, and texture. More information can be found here and here.
The mineral component of Dodon soils is largely composed of marine sediments from the mid-Miocene when highly dynamic sea levels transgressed the western shore uplands on at least three occasions. During the Pleistocene, rivers transported diverse igneous and metamorphic rock material from the Appalachian Mountains to the west. The result is a highly diverse minerals that add to the complexity of the wines. More information can be found here.
Historically planted in field crops and tobacco, including Oronoco tobacco, Dodon’s soils were largely devoid of topsoil and organic matter in 2010 when the vineyards were first planted.
About Dodon’s CLimate
Dodon has a humid subtropical climate that is strongly influenced by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, features that reduce the risk of frost and moderate temperatures during ripening.
Carbon pollution has brought an increasing number of high-volume downpours, prolonged drought, and other extreme weather events, especially hurricanes.
Dodon takes active measures to mitigate the consequences of extreme weather and sequester carbon. More information can be found here and here.
Vineyard
30,030 vines planted on 17.2 acres since 2010
Merlot: 7,950 vines on 4.7 acres
Cabernet Franc: 4,510 vines on 2.6 acres
Cabernet Sauvignon: 2,521 vines on 1.5 acres
Petit Verdot: 1,615 vines on 1 acre
Sauvignon Blanc: 9,084 vines on 5.1 acres
Chardonnay: 4,350 vines on 2.5 acres
First vintage: 2011
Significance of planting/growing techniques
Focus on regenerative agricultural practices that return balance to the soil, roots, and vines; provide the necessary building blocks for superior wine grapes; and that enhance the environment.
Diverse grasses and forbs increase water infiltration and retention, disrupt compaction, enhance soil microbiome, reduce insect and microbial pest pressure, sequesters carbon, and improves wine quality.
High density planting on deep, well-drained soils limits vine vigor.
Restricting the number of clusters per vine meticulous canopy management ensures fully ripened fruit and maximizes concentration, and extensive sorting following harvest enhances wine quality
WINERY
Significance of winery features
Approximately 6,000 square foot winery with elevated crush pad, temperature control, and underground barrel room.
Production at full capacity will be approximately 3,500 cases.
Gentle processing procedures include hand harvesting, hand sorting, and gravity-based delivery of the fruit to the receiving tank. These practices ensure that expressive fruit aromas are preserved.
Winemaking techniques, such as temperature control, oxygen manipulation, and extended maceration, focus on producing the conditions that will allow the wine to express the fruit in the fermenter.
Solar technology and geothermal heating and cooling minimize Dodon’s environmental impact.
Barrel Program
Our goal is to enhance the depth, longevity, and structure of Dodon wines by introducing the appropriate levels of oxygen during élevage. We seek to minimize the influence of toast and oak flavors.
Exclusively French oak from selected forests in the center of France.
Barrels are sourced from selected coopers who work with the Dodon team to select the appropriate barrel format, stave thickness, and toast for each variety and block.
Barrel wood is aged 36 months, and toast levels range from light to medium plus.
Red wines are aged in barrel for two years and barrels are used twice. White wines are in barrel for one year and barrels are used four or five times.
WINES
Portfolio
Dodon portfolio is split into two categories: Collectors wines and Dodon Series.
Dodon’s Collectors wines are only made in the best vintages that allow for premium wines. The Collectors wines include Drum Point (a barrel-fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc with small amounts of Chardonnay), Dungannon (a Merlot-led blend), and Oronoco (a Cabernet Sauvignon-led blend).
The Dodon Series wines include a dry Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a red blend called South Slope.
Wine style
Dodon wines are always crafted with the goals of expressing a story of time and place, and achieving balance, harmony, depth, and longevity, with fresh acidity that is required for the dining table.
Inquiries:
Contact: Regina Mc Carthy | regina@dodonvineyards.com | 410-798-1126 or
Georgia Williams | georgia@elevenelevenpr.co | 228-216-6307