Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir

Product Description

Land that was once a High Country sheep station is now a flourishing vineyard. Sheep and Rabbits coexisted on the land for some time but the sheep couldn’t keep up with the nocturnal activity of the rabbits and were hopelessly outnumbered – they were driven off the land and were last seen heading north. The owner of the Rabbit Ranch – Mr Mc Gregor tried a number of measures to rid the land of the rabbits at the turn of the century, but was unsuccessful. In the end he decided to plant some vines and make wine. The vineyard fell into decline after the second world war until direct descendants of Mr McGregor – Warren and Betty McGregor decided to replant the vineyard, and as they say – the rest is history… Rabbits still run wild on the vineyard and fuelled by high altitude Pinot grapes, some are reputed to be the size of ponies – but that could be another tall story… Rabbit Ranch is a collaborative venture, formed by a group of vineyards that were all individually once part of a Central Otago sheep station. Banding together to form Rabbit Ranch, they have enlisted the help of Chard Farm as a production partner, and secured the services of John Wallace, Chard Farm’s winemaker.

Bright, eye red colour. Sweet nose with ripe berry scents, hints of briar patch and a whiff of gun smoke. A solid palate exhibiting layers of bramble and cherry flavours, supported by earthy tannins, barnyard and stalk complexity, lightly framed by a delicate veneer of chocolatey oak. A generously flavoured Pinot wine with fine fruit characters.