By Tom
It has been more than a year since I last wrote to the club. Focused entirely on the logistics of keeping our staff healthy and employed, I had lost the ability to concentrate or convey a coherent story, even a summary of the 2020 vintage.
But now the 2021 harvest is over, and the wines are aging. So, it is time to reflect on what has happened and what it means and to uncover the more significant lessons from the vintage.
In the vineyard
It was a difficult vintage in the vineyard. While the challenges are familiar, they are getting worse. The extreme weather that accompanies climate change continues to significantly impact us. This year, yields took a beating. Across the vineyards, our production was just under 30 tons, well below the projected 45 tons. There were several reasons.
It takes two or three years for vines to recover from frost, so we expected light crops from the Sauvignon and Chardonnay after the 2020 Mother's Day frost. Unseasonably cool temperatures over this Memorial Day weekend, when the high temperature was 55 degrees compared with the typical 77 degrees, compounded the already low yields by reducing fruit set in both the white and red varieties.
In a continuation of the evolving weather pattern over the past five vintages, we had drought conditions in June and July. August, however, brought nearly a foot of rain just when dry weather and sunshine are crucial for ripening. The downpours were remarkable, with nearly three inches of rain on three occasions.
Other manmade challenges added to our misfortune. In mid-June, for the second time in four years, we observed widespread damage from the broadleaf herbicide 2,4-D found in many lawn care products, such as Ortho's Weed B Gon and Scott's Turf Builder. This auxin mimetic can become volatile in hot weather, drifting several miles before falling back to the ground. Grapevines are very susceptible to its effects. Reduced fruit set and yield, disrupted photosynthesis, and impaired organic acid production are common.
Like much of agriculture and hospitality, the availability of labor was insufficient to meet our needs. The vineyard team largely coped by sweat and strength of character, but even this was insufficient during the harvest surge. Typically, we have three or four day-laborers help pick on an on-call basis. Many of these workers return year after year. This year, however, day labor was non-existent, reducing the quantity we could harvest in a day from five tons to three. This shortage limited our ability to ensure optimal ripeness and manage during inclement weather.
Despite the challenges, harvest went quickly once the sun came out in September. Although small in quantity, the quality was excellent. While I cannot say for sure, our aggressive adoption of regenerative methods to build biodiversity and healthy soil through native cover crops, compost, and livestock integration may have resulted in more robust plants better able to withstand adverse conditions.
The cellar
As in the vineyard, labor was a significant issue. For the last two years, we have arranged for experienced Chilean winemakers to join us during the busiest period from mid-September to mid-October. It is a great learning opportunity for everyone, and the extra set of skilled hands is invaluable. Unfortunately, the pandemic again foiled these plans. Fortunately, however, Alley Komara – better known to you as Dodon's wine club manager – had expressed a keen interest in learning more about the production side of the business. She quickly became a cellar rat while also managing her busy weekend schedule. Regina, of course, had to fill in for some of Alley’s duties, and both eagerly picked up their harvest shears. Double and triple duty was the order of the day for them.
The good news from the cellar was the quality of the fruit. We were able to use all the tools available to us – longer pump-overs, higher temperatures, and extended maceration of the red fruit, and maceration and stabulation of the white - to fully extract the flavor in the berries. The wine mostly made itself this year.
And the front-of-the-house
Even the front-of-the-house was difficult in 2021. I do not usually worry about it. Regina's team characteristically functions with warmth and elegance, creating the impeccable yet familiar feel of a precisely choreographed ballet.
Like the rest of the country, we were elated as COVID-19 case counts dropped dramatically in the spring. The entire team, both production and front-of-the-house, had been vaccinated by bud break in mid-April. Finally, after a year of our worst-case scenarios playing out, it looked like our best-case might be on the horizon. I started shaking hands again. Seth, widely known as "free-hugs," resumed hugging and his usually quick smile returned. Regina began to plan tastings and dinners. Anne Arundel County reported only one new infection on July 4.
But the delta variant was starting to grip other parts of the country, and it would, of course, be here soon enough. Words cannot express how discouraged I was to resume the COVID-related protocols. Despite the heat, the staff decided to wear masks outdoors after hearing a report of viral transmission among passers-by on the street. They did not want to be responsible for our customers falling ill.
Even with the persistent effort, delta took a steep toll at Dodon. Two on our team tragically lost close family members due to COVID. My brother is now in a nursing home with long-COVID, unable to walk without assistance. The facility is just a few hundred yards from the farm where we grew up, yet COVID-related "brain fog" makes him unable to comprehend this fact. Several team members became ill, affecting schedules and forcing us to limit the number of guests we could host.
Throughout the summer, I was genuinely inspired by our production and front-of-the-house teams. In the best of times, farm work is powered largely on passion. The crew drew on these reserves to persist in the more challenging present, always diligent, conscientious, and enthusiastic, placing their families, their coworkers, and their community above themselves.
Now what?
A year ago, I wrote that we would put the needs of the community ahead of our own. Children returning to school became the yardstick for resuming indoor activities at the winery. It would not have been right to have an open tasting room while schools were closed. But schools are now in session, and school-aged children are eligible to be vaccinated. Although current projections suggest another dismal winter, we have learned enough that we feel confident that we can provide a superb indoor wine experience while keeping the risk of viral transmission at tolerable levels.
While we need some time to plan, for the projected winter surge to run its course, and for Regina and Alley to catch their breath, the outline of the new year is coming into focus. First, absent a new variant, tour and tasting experiences for both members and non-members will resume in the tasting rooms in February. Getting to know our current and prospective club members over a glass of wine is enormously rewarding. Second, outdoor “pop-up” visits to the winery will continue through the winter. Beginning in April, we will resume a regular schedule, with all tables reserved for Dodon wine club members and their guests. Third, Regina is planning a full schedule of club dinners and other events for the new year. Please stay tuned for the details.
Of course, the pandemic is not over. We will always do what we can to provide a safe guest experience, whether by pointing out uneven footpaths, posting an electric fence sign, restricting unaccompanied access to farm equipment and the cellar, or minimizing exposure to airborne pathogens. You can read more detail about our approach here.
A digression to say thanks
Polly and I want to thank our colleagues in public health and medicine who toiled relentlessly throughout the pandemic to limit transmission, reduce suffering, and comfort families. Moreover, they have often operated in underfunded, underprepared, and unappreciated circumstances.
The emotional trauma and heightened occupational risk during the pandemic have been enormous. Too many have died. I can empathize, having at one time been on the front lines of medical care when I too was infected by an airborne pathogen (tuberculosis). But my trauma fades when compared with that of health and public health workers who justifiably feel betrayed by their employers, demeaned by the people they labor to help, threatened by fanatics, and shamefully humiliated by elected leaders.
In recognition of their contributions, we will extend wine club privileges to health and public health workers. These benefits include the opportunity to participate in club-only events and other activities, access to club-only wines, and club discounts on bottled wine. They will always find a sincerely grateful welcome at Dodon.
this year's musical theme
I have been thinking a great deal about relationships. The Austrian philosopher Martin Buber offered a helpful framework by distinguishing between the exploitive "I-it" interactions we have with inanimate objects and the more reciprocal "I-thou" relationships we have with living beings.
Buber's paradigm is particularly useful regarding the natural world. When viewed through an I-it lens, we tend to marginalize nature, seeing its elements solely as resources to be extracted for human benefit. Taken to an unfortunately common extreme, many seem to view their relationships with other people through this I-it, transactional perspective. As botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer says, "We ‘it’ the world."
Happily, modern science has dismantled this anthropocentric view of human exceptionalism. For example, ecologist Suzanne Simard has demonstrated that trees in a forest are richly and robustly interconnected through a vast fungal network. They preferentially provide nutrients to their offspring. They assist the young of symbiotic species. They warn one another of looming danger. They cooperate.
While Simard's work is recent, indigenous peoples long ago recognized the natural world as filled with sentient beings that possess souls capable of reciprocal, I-thou relationships across landscapes and species differences. We should learn from their example.
Beethoven's Triple Concerto presents a musical illustration. The featured piano, violin, and cello can each stand independently. But it is the equality and cooperation of the three instruments that brings greatness to the piece. Each instrument brings its gifts to the table, offering collective hope for our future. We need to cultivate this form of collaboration, trust, and reciprocity if we are to solve the formidable challenges associated with climate change, the pandemic, and racial injustice.
and finally, welcome
Dodon is a wonderful place for gathering, conversing, and wondering. The best part, though, is the welcoming. New club members, new team members, and new family members bring freshness and vitality to our lives. This year got off to a great start in February when we welcomed Samantha, vineyard manager Roberto Gomez’s daughter. It continued in May, when our grandson, Santi, was born, and ended on a strong note with Kelsey Tamm’s daughter, Willow. The children make every vintage special, no matter the challenges. We’ve also added a new team member, Willa, a Great Pyrenees puppy, who will manage the ruminant landscape team.
As always, the Dodon team is grateful for your friendship and support. We hope that you have a wonderful holiday season.