Our story began thousands of years ago – when glaciers deposited their cargo of stones, rocks, minerals, clay, sand and gravel creating a hilly moraine in Baroda, Michigan. In 2009, we began our portion of the story when we purchased 44 acres of land. We began our vineyard with 4 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and have continued planting new vines each year. Once home to vineyards of concord grapes, the soils are ideal and the climate conditions are similar to Burgundy, creating a perfect growing area for our viniferous vines. Our location is atop one of the highest points in Baroda, and the moderating influence of Lake Michigan protects from frosts and promotes a long growing season.
Unique to our hilly location, our terraced vineyard blocks are a beautiful sight to be seen. The stone lined terraces ensure proper drainage and prevent erosion while providing a picturesque setting.
Continuing our story, we pay tribute to Claude Dablon, French explorer and Jesuit priest, who was one of the first Europeans to arrive in Michigan, when it was still a part of New France in the 1600’s. History describes Father Dablon making wine from grapes he found in the New World. It is our goal to marry European varietals with our unique terroir in Southwest Michigan to make extraordinary wine.
Our Dablon wines are estate grown, produced and bottled, as well as our 2012 and 2013 Moraine Vineyards wines (our former name). We also produce and bottle Music Box wine, named after our sister company in Chicago, which owns and operates one of the world’s most beautiful cinemas and distributes some of the world’s best films.
In 2011, we acquired an additional 13 acres of beautiful, rolling hills on Singer Lake Road. We opened our tasting room overlooking the vineyards and new production facility in 2015, added another 10 acres to our estate in 2016, and an additional 7 acres in 2017. We look forward to continuing our story and welcome you to share in writing history with us.
With 36 acres of estate-grown grapes planted on our 75 acre farm, we are proud to be a Michigan winery.