Our Story
Our Story
The Perigeaux story began with our search for the perfect location.
The Perigeaux story began with our search for the perfect location to plant our dream vineyard in the summer of 1997. After more than four years of extensive research and travels throughout the mid-Atlantic region, our search led us to the sandy loam soils and warm climate of Calvert County in Southern Maryland.
Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery was established with the planting of the first vineyard of 2,200 vinifera vines in April 2002. Located on a finger of land between historic Saint Leonard Creek and the mouth of the Patuxent River in Calvert County, Perigeaux has grown from the original vineyard to four estate vineyards encompassing eight acres of nearly 5,000 vines.
The true Perigeaux owners.
When deciding what name to give our vineyard, Mark Flemming, one of our owners, remarked how much the area reminded him of the French village of Perigueux where he lived and studied wine-making at a small vineyard and winery during his college years. As John Behun (our second Perigeaux owner) and Mark were having a conversation over dinner, a white goose waddled up to the table and Mark and John began feeding bread to the goose. Mark pointed out that the symbol of Perigueux is a white goose; the men took this as a promising sign. With one small spelling change, we had our name and our mascot! In the fall, our white goose friend often visits the vineyards to check on our progress. It is a happy occasion when we see him.
Grapes from the Perigeaux Vineyard
It wasn’t easy in the early days.
There were only John and Mark working the vineyard as well as making the wine with what could best be described as “beginner’s equipment.” But they learned a lot, worked hard, and had a great time growing grapes and making wine!
From the first harvest of about 48 pounds of grapes, Perigeaux Vineyards has grown to a harvest of almost 14 tons of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Zinfandel, and Montepulciano. From the first bottling of 3 cases in 2005, we now bottle nearly 900 cases of wine annually and continue to grow every season. None of this would have been possible without the generous love and support of family who have accumulated countless hours of pruning, planting, harvesting, bottling, pouring, and labeling. Perigeaux Vineyards and Winery belongs to all of our families as well.
We invite you to come visit us and share our dream. We hope you’ll enjoy the vineyards and the wine as much as we do every day.
Come see what’s so extravagantly special about our wine, our view, and the moment created with both.