The Vineyards at Dodon Website
If you have any difficulty accessing this website, please email info@dodonvineyards.com or call 410-798-1126.
To visit the vineyard, learn about the winery, or join the wine club, see Wine Club events and activities, learn about or purchase wine, or register for an event, please please email info@dodonvineyards.com or call 410-798-1126.
Company Statement: We are stewards of the land and guardians of its future. As eighth generation custodians of this historic property, we have an ongoing commitment to ecological diversity, meticulous viticulture, and precision winemaking.
Farm, Vineyards: Our goal from the beginning has been to produce wines that reflect our farm and our community.
It started with the decision to grow international vinifera varieties - Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Despite the challenges of growing these varieties in our region, careful preparation, attention to detail, and painstaking viticulture have demonstrated the benefits of this decision. Dodon now has more than 31,000 vines densely planted over 17 acres in three adjacent vineyards.
It is a difficult site for agriculture, but it is perfect for a vineyard when coupled with scrupulously tended vines, a nurturing climate, and passionate people. The soils are infinitely complex, a mosaic of nearly a billion years of orogeny and erosion to the west, the rise and fall of oceans during the Miocene, and hundreds of years of human cultivation. Recognizing their distinctive characteristics, they have been designated “Dodon-series” by the United States Department of Agriculture. They are naturally drained by slope and sandy texture, yet they also include a modest distribution of clay that provides a regular supply of water. At more than 3,000 feet to bedrock, their depth and decomposing shells provide texture and fragrance to the wine.
We selected rootstocks to match this terroir, planting each variety according to the dominant soil characteristics across the vineyards. Merlot is planted in the lower elevations, where there is more clay. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are on the sandy soils on the crests of hills where there is more heat, less water, and fewer nutrients. Sauvignon is on more fertile soils with abundant shells, and the Chardonnay on soils with intermediate fertility and drainage but plenty of minerals.
The climate at Dodon complements the soils and the varieties. The rainfall accelerates weathering of the soils, releasing minerals and creating the environment in which the vines grow. Moderate temperatures during the last weeks of September slow ripening, allowing full expression of aroma and balanced tannins that preserve flavor and extend aging in the bottle. The wines express these characteristics, revealed by simple yet diligent vineyard and cellar work.
Farm, Farming: Agriculture is at a crossroads. We can continue to degrade the environment. Or we can restore it. At Dodon, we’ve chosen the latter.
With nature as our guide and learning from those who went before us, we seek to reduce our chemical and physical footprint while returning life and biology to the landscape. It starts by enhancing the biodiversity within and around the vineyard. Spontaneously growing, native and naturalized cover crops, compost, and livestock regenerate soil, add microbial diversity, and restore underground ecosystems.
Acres of pollinator meadows and hedgerows that include traditional indigenous food sources like hazelnuts, dwarf chestnuts, and Chickasaw plums provide beneficial insects with the food, shelter, and breeding areas they need to thrive. These “natural areas” cover more than half of the 43 acres we manage.
The biodiversity also creates the conditions to store water for drought and allow it to infiltrate during intense downpours. The combination of grasses and woody plants stabilizes the soil, preventing erosion and nutrient pollution. Disease-suppressive soils protect the vines from microbial pests. Improved nutrition creates healthier plants and more expressive wines. As a result, we’ve reduced insecticide use by 70% and fungicide use by a third.
Perhaps most important, we remove more than 250 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equivalent to the emissions from thirty thousand gallons of gasoline.
And despite increasingly difficult conditions, when these methods are combined with meticulous canopy management, yields and fruit quality have consistently improved. It is a resilient, healthy ecosystem living in harmony and reciprocity with its human inhabitants.
At Dodon, we live and work attentively and intentionally in a landscape of native woodlands, pastures, and wetlands. It is inexhaustibly beautiful.
Farm, Winemaking: Our winemaking is straightforward and stripped of pretense, yet precise, attentive, and uncompromising.
Technically good wines–those that are “clean” with consistent varietal character across vintages–are relatively easy to produce in most temperate regions. Wines that tell a story of place and time are more challenging. The goals are always the same - balance, harmony, depth, and longevity, with the fresh acidity that is required for the dining table. Producing wine with these characteristics requires rigorous attention to every detail, relentless intellectual curiosity, persistent questioning, and undying patience.
Most of the winemaking occurs in the vineyard. It begins when the buds are formed a full six months before the fruit will be harvested. During the vintage, we use canopy height, cover crops, irrigation, and nutrients to balance the vines. Too little or too much energy at the wrong time will result in slow, irregular ripening, bitter tannins, and poor color. Picking is based on taste to find the best combination of flavors, tannins, and acid.
Once in the cellar, there are no recipes for making Dodon wines. We start by respecting the fruit and the people who grew it. We adapt our methods to each lot to create the right conditions for the wine to express the site and the vintage. Decisions about extraction - its length and temperature, and the amount of pumping over - are based on the character of the fruit and evolution of the wine. Pressing is done when the tannins have shifted, and barrels are selected based specifically on the nature of the wine after pressing. The wines are aged until they are ready for the bottle, kept in a cool, quiet spot, and stirred occasionally, and then held in bottle until they are ready for your table.
Farm, History:
Dodon is a 555-acre working family farm in Anne Arundel County.
The Dodon Land Trust currently owns the farm. Polly and her six siblings are the trustees. Established in the late 1980s by their parents to preserve farmland, the trust agreement requires that a supermajority of the trustees agree to any sale or other significant change to the property. In addition, Dodon was one of the first farms to enter into an easement agreement with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation that restricts the use of most of the property to agricultural purposes. The trust and easement agreements effectively preserve the rural, agricultural nature of the farm and make it nearly impossible to develop the land.
Dodon’s history is complex, with many gaps in our understanding. We know that human habitation in the area around the farm likely began 8-10,000 years ago when tribes of the Piscataway nation first arrived. While we don’t know whether these indigenous peoples settled on the property itself, they appear to have lived in small family groups of 20 to 50, moving their campsites to take advantage of seasonally available resources and adapt to the rapidly changing climate that followed the last ice age.
While cultivating crops began in many parts of the world much earlier, it was not until about 1,000 years ago that Native Americans introduced tropical plants like maize, squash, beans, and tobacco into our region. Before Europeans arrived, however, these crops appear to have been more dietary supplements than staples. After planting the crop, native peoples would move on to sow, hunt, and gather elsewhere for several months while the crop ripened, returning to harvest and trade with other migrating tribes.
Dr. Francis Stockett was among the early Europeans to come to the region. In 1671, he received a patent of 664 acres for “Dodon.” We know that Stockett, along with his two brothers, had supported King Charles I during the English civil wars, going into exile with his son, King Charles II, in northeast France, where Saint Dodon established a nunnery in 753 CE. Stockett’s brothers also received patents for adjacent properties. Stockett’s Run, presumably named for them, is the small stream that runs through the farm. Stockett’s Run is now also the name of the winery’s “friends and family” red wine.
George Hume Steuart was the first of the family’s ancestors to own the farm. He arrived in Maryland from Scotland in about 1721. Records in the Maryland Archives, and his grandson’s diary, indicate that he acquired Dodon in 1725, but we have not found the original deed or other documentary evidence. In 1747, when archival records show that he owned at least 533 acres, Steuart purchased 409 acres described as “Dodon.” We do not know whether this might have been the original acquisition, an adjacent property, or something else, but we know that he acquired land at a rapid pace. By 1775, when he returned to Scotland, he owned at least 4,100 acres in Anne Arundel County alone.
Horses and tobacco played an essential role in these early years of European settlement. For example, family letters recall that George H. Steuart imported a horse from England called Dungannon. In May 1743, Dungannon won what historians believe was the first recorded horse race on an oval track in Maryland. Dungannon is also the name of our Merlot-led Collectors wine.
While we do not know when it was first introduced to the property, Oronoco tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum) was the primary crop for most of the history of the European settlement in Southern Maryland. This variety, much more pungent and aromatic than the sweet tobacco grown in Virginia, probably originated in the Caribbean and came to Maryland via the Orinoco River delta with European settlers. It differs considerably from the wild Nicotiana rusticum brought from the Amazon and used for ceremonial purposes by indigenous peoples. Oronoco is the name of our Cabernet Sauvignon-led Collectors wine, reflecting the tobacco-like aromatics typical in this grape variety.
Once commercialization began, tobacco farming led to the rapid degradation of the soil. It also fueled a tragic system of slavery that was common in the region. In Anne Arundel County alone, over 900 families owned fellow human beings, and the Steuarts were part of this deplorable practice. In the years leading up to the Civil War, the census shows that Dr. Richard Sprigg Steuart owned 130 slaves. This legacy of slavery and the acts of extreme cruelty accompanying it are still painfully present in society today.
The tangible wealth accumulated by Dodon’s owners during that period is long gone. Dr. Richard Sprigg Steuart used some of it in the mid-19th century to establish the state’s mental hospital at Spring Grove. In doing so, he also accrued a great deal of debt that he passed down to his children, ultimately leading to the loss of the farm. Two of Dr. Steuart’s sons assumed the entire debt to protect two unmarried sisters, Emily and Isabel, allowing them to receive the unencumbered deed to the farm. When the sisters died in 1890, they donated the farm to the Catholic Church.
One of these sons, William Donald Steuart, and his family were living on the farm at the time. His daughter Annette, Polly’s great-grandmother, was ten when they moved to Baltimore. She later recalled how devastated she was to leave Dodon.
For the next 39 years, Dodon served the Marists, and in the later years, the Redemptorists, as a seminary and retreat. Local history of the Church suggests that a “Dodon Fair” was held each spring for the community. The Church’s interest in the farm, however, waned over time. In 1890, when the farm was donated, Maryland planned to build a railroad from Baltimore to Drum Point in Calvert County that crossed the farm.
By 1929, however, despite miles of rail bed that had been prepared, the Drum Point Railroad project had been abandoned. We call our third Collectors wine, a blend of Sauvignon and Chardonnay, Drum Point.
In a letter to Annette that year, the Cardinal of Baltimore offered to sell the property back to family, concluding that the farm was too remote for the Church to continue to support it. Annette and her adult son, Ernest Pittman, bought 344 acres from the Catholic Church for $15,000, returning a large part of the property to her family.
Ernest’s son and Polly’s father, Steuart Pittman Sr., was about ten when the farm was repurchased. Coming from New York to spend summers at Dodon, he grew to share his grandmother’s passion for the land. In 1971, when Steuart Sr. owned the farm, he purchased another 211 acres from the Hardesty family to prevent impending development in the area. That parcel now contains the vineyard and winery operation.
Dodon is 555 acres in its current configuration. It comprises roughly 400 acres of woodland, 65 acres of pasture, 65 acres of cropland, 17 acres of planted vineyards, and 15 acres of “farmstead” – houses, barns, sheds, roads, and other non-tillable areas. Since 2010, the vineyard and winery have occupied a section of about 43 acres in the northeastern corner of the property.
Until 2017, when Polly’s brother Steuart ran for County Executive, he operated an equine business focused on retraining retired racehorses to be three-day eventers. At the height of his riding career, he rode his stallion, Salute the Truth, in advanced level eventing. Salute the Truth is also the name of a dessert wine that resulted from the difficult 2018 red wine harvest.
As part of the eighth generation of the family to raise our children and grandchildren on this ever-changing property, we are acutely aware of our good fortune. But that good fortune is also a reminder of our obligation to work forcefully, persistently, and constructively not just towards better environmental stewardship of the land but also to advance a more equitable society. Like the history of this country, the farm's history is both wonderful and painful. Both need to be acknowledged.
Farm, People:
POLLY PITTMAN, CO-OWNER
Polly grew up at Dodon when it was still a tobacco farm. After 16 years in Argentina, where she worked in human rights and raised her three daughters, she was excited to return home. Polly and Tom moved to Dodon in 2005 where they now work with her extended family to preserve the farm. Polly is also a professor of health policy at George Washington University.
TOM CROGHAN, CO-OWNER
Growing up on a small farm in north central West Virginia, Tom grew to appreciate the rhythms of nature, the joy of hard work, and the importance of place. He brings these early lessons, as well as those from a successful career in medicine, immunology and business, to create wines that reflect the unique soil and the site.
STEVE BLAIS, CONSULTING WINEMAKER
Steve is a winemaker-consultant at The Vineyards at Dodon. He received his Oenology degree from the University of Bordeaux and has consulting experience in 9 countries with more than 40 grape varieties. Steve brings a wealth of knowledge to our vineyard team and an innate skill for blending in the cellar.
REGINA MC CARTHY, GENERAL MANAGER
An Anne Arundel County native, Regina graduated with a degree in Mass Communication and Public Relations. She spent three years as Marketing Coordinator for the Maryland Wineries Association, a year working in farm to table food aggregation followed by two years representing premium wine and spirit brands. Regina is certified by Wine and Spirits Education Trust at Level 3, and she is the author of Maryland Wine: A Full-Bodied History.
KATIE SIRCOVICS, OPERATIONS MANAGER
Katie became a member of the Dodon team in March of 2022. Her passion for food, beverage, and hospitality led her to the Culinary Institute of America, where she received degrees in Culinary Arts and Applied Food Studies. Katie completed a harvest internship in 2021 in California’s Russian River Valley and fully caught the wine bug. Since moving back to Maryland, she joined Dodon with excitement to learn.
KURTIS FLAHERTY, WINEMAKER
Kurtis joined the team in January 2023. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, he started his career in the restaurant industry in Annapolis. His curiosity about food preservation led him to fermentation and a wine career. Kurtis served as a harvest intern at Dodon in 2020 and 2021 at Antiyal in Chile’s Maipo Valley. After his internship, he moved to The Wine Collective in Baltimore as Assistant Winemaker. Kurtis recently completed the Winemaking Certificate Program at UC Davis and is eager to apply what he has learned to Dodon's vineyard and wines
ROBERTO GOMEZ, VINEYARD MANAGER
Roberto joined the team in the summer of 2014 with past work in the restaurant and landscaping sectors. Originally, a farmer from Chiapas, Mexico, his love for plants and keen eye have quickly made him the chief disease inspector.
HANNAH FLAHERTY, CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER
Hannah became a team member in February 2023. She is a Texas native with a Baking and Pastry degree from the Culinary Institute of America. Though she still finds time to laminate croissants and bake cookies, wine has become her true passion. Intrigued by the story behind bottles and the agricultural practices that create them, Hannah was a harvest intern at Antiyal in Maipo Valley, Chile, in 2021. Before joining the Dodon team in early 2023, Hannah has been a sommelier at a fine dining restaurant and managed a wine store, and she has been a harvest volunteer at Dodon since 2018. She joins the team with excitement to learn and share knowledge with others on the wonders of wine
JEN DASZCZYSZAK, WINE CLUB MANAGER
Jen’s passion for food and wine was ignited while living in Germany, and she began studying wine in earnest upon moving to the DC area, receiving her Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and her WSET Level 3 Certification in Wine, and is currently a WSET Diploma candidate. Deeply inspired by viticulture and those in the field, she pivoted from a career in theatre to join the Dodon team full-time in 2026.
Partner wine shops and restaurants:
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
Bin 201 201 Harker Place Annapolis, MD 21401 410-571-2011
Eastport Liquors 1007 Bay Ridge Avenue Annapolis, MD 21403 410-263-4747
Edgewater Liquors 54 W Central Avenue Edgewater, MD 21037 410-956-9463
Fox’s Den 179 B Main Street Annapolis, MD 21401 443-224-1330
Garten 849 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd Severna Park, MD 21146 443-261-3905
Harvest Thyme 1251 West Central Avenue Davidsonville, MD 21305 443-203-6846
Ketch 22 7153 Lake Shore Drive North Beach, MD 20714 443-646-5205
Leo Annapolis 212 West St Annapolis, MD 21401 443-782-7549
Lothian Beverage Company 5078 Solomons Island Rd Lothian, MD 20711 443-607-6436
The Point Crab House & Grill 700 Mill Creek Rd Arnold, MD 410-544-5448
Seasalt Annapolis 1 Park Place #7 Annapolis, MD 21401 443-288-0986
BALTIMORE
Bin 604 711 S Central Ave, 2nd Floor Baltimore, MD 21202 410-576-0444
HEX Superette 5718 York Road Baltimore, MD 21212 410-929-0750
Lighthouse Canton 2701 Lighthouse Point Baltimore, MD 21224 410-558-0390
Magdalena at The Ivy Hotel 205 E. Biddle Street Baltimore, MD 21202 410-514-6500
Off the Rox Wine & Beer Shop 3233A Eastern Ave Baltimore, MD 21224 443-388-8925
True Chesapeake Oyster Co. 3300 Clipper Mill Rd, Suite 400 Baltimore, MD 21211 410-813-6374
CALVERT COUNTY
Vaughan Cheese Counter + Bar 4116 7th St North Beach, MD 20714 410-514-6500
HOWARD COUNTY
Highland Wine & Spirits 13390 Clarksville Pike Highland, MD 20777 301-854-0720
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Beer Wine & Co. 7029 Wisconsin Ave Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-951-0100
Locavino 8519 Fenton St Silver Spring, MD 20910
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY
Crescent Wine & Spirits 15501 Annapolis Road #300 Bowie, MD 20715 301-352-3264
WASHINGTON DC
Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20007 202-944-2026
Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits 4339 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 202-966-4400
Eunoia 321 Florida Ave NE, Retail Bay 1 Washington, DC 20002
Estuary 950 New York Ave NW Washington, DC 20001
Nido 3155 Mt Pleasant St NW Washington, DC 20010
Oyster Oyster 1440 8th St NW Washington, DC 20001
Reveler’s Hour 177 Columbia Road NW Washington, DC 20009
St. Anselm 1250 5th St NE Washington, DC 20002 202-864-2199
VIRGINIA
Chain Bridge Cellars 1351 Chain Bridge Rd McLean, VA 22101 703-356-6500
Vienna Vintner 320 Maple Ave E Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9463
Tower Club - Tysons Corner 8000 Towers Crescent Dr Ste 1700 Vienna, VA 22182 703-761-4250