Those who have visited know that Dodon has a rich and varied history. To celebrate this heritage, we’ve chosen historical themes when naming Dungannon, Oronoco, and Drum Point, Dodon’s Collectors wines. Dungannon was Dodon’s horse that won, in 1743, the first recorded horse race on an oval in Maryland. Like the horse, Dungannon the wine, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is earthy and boldly structured. Likewise, Oronoco was the opulent, highly aromatic variety of tobacco that was grown in the region. Oronoco the wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend that will be released later this summer, is correspondingly luxurious, with hints of tobacco leaf aromas.
This spring, we will release a third Collectors wine, Drum Point 2015. Drum Point is a blend of Sauvignon and Chardonnay that readers will recognize from previous vintages as North Slope. Drum Point is named for a “ghost railroad” that, despite a great deal of planning and investment over several decades in the late 1800’s, was never completed.
Planning for the Baltimore and Drum Point Railroad (BDRR) began as early as 1856. It was formally chartered in 1868, at a time when railroads symbolized progress and were being planned and built across America. Had it been completed, the BDRR would have stretched 34 miles from the Baltimore harbor to Drum Point in Calvert County, near Solomons Island. The aim was to provide access to a warm deep-water harbor for the steamboat trade, creating an opportunity to transport tobacco, grain, fruit, vegetables, oysters, and fish from Southern Maryland farms and watermen to Baltimore for sale and canning.
Physical evidence of the project can be found in Anne Arundel and Calvert counties in the form of railroad beds and their trenches. Slated to go through the Dodon property, BDRR beds here run across the western end of the farm. These berms have remained relatively clear of trees as family and friends used them as riding trails over the past century and decades.
This spring we will release Dodon’s Drum Point 2015 in the spring Wine Club allocation, with release to the general public later in the summer. The wine is a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Chardonnay. It offers complex wheat, apple crisp and stone fruit, a fresh lively palate and a touch of weight. With 125 cases bottled in August of 2016, we suggest pairing it with sautéed chicken with lemon caper sauce or poached salmon. Affectionately nicknamed the “Grand Dame” of Dodon’s portfolio by a dear friend of Dodon, we hope you enjoy this elegant and thoughtfully made wine.
On April 30th at 2 pm, Dodon Wine Club members and their guests are invited to join Polly on a hike to the Drum Point railroad beds. We will gather under the pavilion for a special pre-release tasting of Drum Point after the hike. Club members and their guests are invited to stay for a bonfire until 6 pm. Dodon wine will be available for purchase by the glass and bottle. RSVP here.
