Rare Hare

Rare Hare at Willow Creek Vineyard, Merricks North, Mornington Peninsula.

Drive up the driveway to the Jackalope hotel complex. The first thing you see is the metallic black seven-metre-tall sculpture of a mythical jackrabbit with antelope horn from North American folklore, hence the Jackalope Hotel. The Rare Hare food and wine store hosts the cellar door and spectacular views of the vineyard, coupled with award winning food, a must see of any visit to the Mornington Peninsula.

The $40 million five-star boutique hotel, located among the 11-hectare Willow Creek Vineyard is owned by Lous Li. The Jackalope hotel and  two restaurants Doot Doot Doot & Rare Hare first opened April 2017 on an existing vineyard, which was largely planted in 1989. Winemaker Geraldine McFaul, was appointed in 2008, alongside viticulturist Robbie O’Leary, to focus on perfect grapes grown with minimal intervention. As a result, the winery consistently produces fruit of excellent quality. In particular, the Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2018  and the O’Leary Block Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula 2018. Recently, both receiving reviews 94+ points from Halliday wine companion.

The range of wines include:

• Brut
• Sparkling
• Fumé Blanc
• Pinot Gris
• Chardonnay
• Rose
• Pinot Noir
• Shiraz Grenache
• Cabernet Sauvignon

Cellar Door

Rare Hare and Willow Creek Vineyard wines,  invite you to taste the fruits of their labor while looking over the vines and barrels, where it all began. They offer a range of tasting experiences to suit your available time and passion for wine. They currently have four tasting experiences available.

Firstly, a classic tasting experience  Duration: 20-30 mins, $10 per tasting, refundable with purchase. Available for groups up to 10.

Secondly, a premium tasting experience a tasting of all their estate wines, including the very limited release single block wines. Duration: 30 mins, $25 per person tasting fee. Available for groups up to 10.

WINE IMMERSION

Thirdly, allow an hour to walk among the vines and wander the winery, where they delve into details of vintages past and their winemaking cast. Learn the visual story of alchemy that inspires the art and design of Jackalope Hotel, then, stopping by the hotel’s pool deck, settle into a seated tasting in the stunning Geode. Discover their growing and winemaking philosophy, with an opportunity to taste and blend work-in-progress components of Willow Creek Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, then compare them to the current estate wines.

Daily at 11am, plus 1.30pm on weekends $185pp (max group size 6)

Restaurant

Rare Hare is a communal restaurant; dine with friends on long timber benches and trestles. The food is designed to share, being made up entirely of small share plates. The lunch we include on our Rare Hare wine tour is the Hare’s Share a selection popular tasting plates. Sit Back and enjoy the view over the 11-hectare vineyard. On the colder days, the comfort of the large double-sided fireplace. Head chef Toby Marks and executive chef Simon Tarlington lead the team, crafting seasonal dishes high lighting locally grown ingredients and the finest produce. The Rare Hare restaurant was recently awarded a chef hat at the Good Food Guide Awards 2020, therefore a worthy consideration for a lunch destination on your next Mornington wine tour.