Dablon Vineyards & Winery
- Established Year - 2009
- AVA - Lake Michigan Shore
Origin Story
Our story began thousands of years ago – when glaciers deposited their cargo of stones, rocks, minerals, clay, sand and gravel creating the fertile soil of Baroda, Michigan. In 2009, we began our portion of the story by planting 4-acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with new vines added each year. Today, we grow 45-acres of wine grapes on our 75-acre estate, proudly contributing to Michigan Wine Country. We hand-plant and nurture our grapes, using a blend of traditional and modern winemaking techniques to produce rich, vibrant, and complex wines. Our varietals include Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Carmenère, Malbec, Tannat, Petit Verdot, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, Traminette, Valvin Muscat, and Arandell.
How They Started
After a first successful harvest 15 years ago, our passion for making delicious wines was ignited. While at first, we set out only to grow grapes, we soon realized that the best way to make world class wines was to make them ourselves. And so we did! We built a winery in 2011, outgrew that and built another one, along with a tasting room in 2015. As we experimented with more and more varietals, most of them European, we discovered just how well-suited the terroir and the Michigan climate was for growing grapes. This thrilled and excited us and we continued to experiment and add more varietals to our vineyards and wines to our menu. We now grow 17 different varietals and make over 30 different wines.
Mission Statement
Dablon Vineyards & Winery is dedicated to cultivating exceptional grapes and creating world-class wines that reflect the unique terroir of our estate in southwest Michigan, with a steadfast commitment to quality and innovation in every aspect of our winemaking process.
Wine Making Philosophy
Having a respectful understanding of Southwest Michigan’s soils and climate allows Dablon to craft premium wines from the vineyard to the bottle without compromising quality. Our minimalist intervention technique allows our quality fruit to speak for itself. – (Rudy Shafer, Wine Maker)
Top 3 Wines
This winery is known for:
Unoaked Chardonnay
Pinot Noir Rosé
Cab Franc
Accolades
USA Today – #8 Tasting Room in the United States (2023)
Midwest Living Magazine – Best Winery (2023)
