Before our family…
The vineyard and surrounding property has roots in the establishment of Southern Maryland. We have heard that soldiers probably traversed our land while heading to defend the Patuxent River during the War of 1812. We have old structures including houses, mill stones (which point to a time when Killpeck Creek had significant flow), a chimney of a former cook house, and even an enslaved persons cemetery with over 100 graves. In 2014, we worked with St. Mary’s College of Maryland to learn more about the burial ground and the surrounding lands. There is much more to learn and so little time to engage.
1941-2004
In 1941 our grandfather, Charles F. “Doc” Conrad of Arlington, Virginia, purchased our farm “on the road to the Patuxent.” One piece of the property was known as Long Looked For Come At Last which is where we get our LLC name. Doc Conrad was a podiatrist in Washington, DC who spent a couple of days each week puttering around the farm. He had tenants who grew tobacco and raised pigs.
We have journals of his that talk of a 100-acre fire in 1946 that burned down the original shed.
At some point, Doc dammed up a small stream on the property to create a pond for propagating snails for the escargot demand in DC restaurants. It didn’t work out as planned, but the local wildlife appreciates the frogs and fish that live there.
In the late 1980s, our father and uncles began planting various pines and firs for Christmas trees. The endeavor didn’t generate much income, but it kept those guys out of trouble and gave them a reason to gather every week. We still maintain a small Christmas tree area in their honor. We oversold our trees during the pandemic, so it has taken some time to regrow them to an acceptable holiday size. We hope to start selling again soon.
As tobacco faded out in the 1990s, we leased fields on our land to farmers who grew corn, grains, and vegetables.
Today
The farmhouse in 1946.
2025
Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
2022 Mourvedre - Silver
2024 Pinot Gris - Bronze
NV Porteau - Bronze
NV Petit Verdot - Bronze
2022 Red Rouge - Bronze
2022 Admiral’s Blend - Bronze
Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition
2022 Viognier - Gold
2022 Admiral’s Blend - Silver
2024 Pinot Gris - Silver
NV Merlot - Bronze
NV Petit Verdot - Bronze
2024
Maryland Governor’s Cup
2022 Admiral’s Blend - Bronze
2022 Red Rouge - Bronze
2022 Mourvèdre - Bronze
2022 Viognier - Bronze
2023 Bernie’s Blush - Bronze
Maryland Wine Master’s Choice Awards
NV Corteau Porteau - Silver, Best in Category
2023 Albarino - Silver
2023 Golden Blanc - Silver
2023 Bernie’s Blush - Bronze
Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
2023 Albarino - Silver
2022 Viognier - Silver
2023 Pinot Gris - Bronze
2023 Bernie’s Blush - Bronze
2023 Golden Blanc - Bronze
2022 Boots’ Blanc - Bronze
Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition
2022 Viognier - Gold
2022 Admiral’s Blend - Silver
2024 Pinot Gris - Silver
NV Merlot - Bronze
NV Petit Verdot - Bronze
2023
Maryland Wine Master’s Choice Awards
NV Petit Verdot - Gold
NV Barbera - Gold
2022 Chardonnay - Gold
NV Admiral’s Blend - Bronze
Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
NV Petit Verdot - Bronze
NV Barbera - Bronze
NV Admiral’s Blend - Bronze
Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition
NV Admiral’s Blend - Gold, Best in Category (Other Vinifera Blends)
NV Petit Verdot - Silver
NV Barbera - Silver
2022 Boots’ Blanc - Bronze
2022 Chardonnay - Bronze
In 2004, Doc Conrad's two surviving children, Peter Corteau Conrad and Charles Conrad Jr., along with current owners Peter and Gerald Byrne, and other family members decided to plant a small vineyard (25 vines) to see if grapes would prosper in our area. They were successful and the vineyard has continued to expand ever since.
Long Looked For Come At Last was a founding member of Port of Leonardtown Winery and we maintain a strong relationship with them. However, we now keep all of our grapes for our own estate production. We currently have 14 blocks in commercial production with more planted and planned. In addition to growing grapes, we continue to cultivate timber for lumber.
We have several varietals that have not yet reached full maturity, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay (also known as Beaujolais), Pinotage, and Touriga Nacional (in a port-style). In addition, we planted two Pierce’s Disease resistant varieties in 2025: Ambulo Blanc and Caminante Blanc. We’ll let you know in 2028 if they are a success!
Our tasting room is available for classes and parties of under 50 people. Click here for our rental information or contact info@corteauvineyards.com to discuss your needs.
Why the name Corteau?
Doc Conrad’s oldest son, Peter Corteau Conrad, got his middle name from his mother’s family. The Courteau family came from Quebec. When they moved to the U.S., Napoleon Courteau changed their last name to Short. To honor her family, Julia Short Conrad named her son after them but accidentally misspelled it, creating a name with no meaning in French Canadian or English. We love this unique name and honor Uncle Peter for all he did to start our vineyard.