Colorado | Biodynamic Overview

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Location

• Sources its estate wines from its 18 acres of biodynamic vines in Redlands Mesa south of Grand Junction, Colorado in the North Fork Valley and buys biodynamic apples for cider and brandy

• Additional keg and box wines come from conventional growers

• The winery and tasting room are on the farm site

Best known for

• Diversified Colorado producer uniquely making all manner of organic and biodynamic beverages—wines, spirits (gin, vodka and bitters), brandies, grappas, and cider

• Produces small lots of six biodynamic wines ($25-75) as well as biodynamic grappas and a brandy and c

• Proprietors Lance and Anna Hanson, tech refugees from the Bay Area, started the operation in 2001, on a property where Lance's sister had a small cattle ranch; today they still raise sheep and cows on the 70 acre farm

• Originally focused solely on making wine, they planted Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Foch, Riesling, Vignoles and Bianca Malvasia; today they make most of their wine for the restaurant keg market, producing smaller lot wines for retail sale

• Their keg and box wines—distributed through their Wine Tapistry brand—are served at Denver area restaurants and bars; though mostly sourced from conventional growers, a few are organic or biodynamic

• Early on, the Hansons began experimenting with distilling grapes (using a beautiful, vintage copper still from Germany), and fell in love with making spirits

• Their popular organic craft spirits (gin and vodka ) and biodynamic bitters, made under the CapRock label, quickly earned them a following in the market place; their current lineup has grown to 10 products and 10,000 cases

• Their other spirits include biodynamic grappas, organic and biodynamic brandies and organic eau de vie

• In 2015 Jack Rabbit Hill debuted the first ever biodynamic cider, under their New Avalon label,  made from apples grown at Filigreen Farm, a biodynamic farm in Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, California; the 500 case label has since added a burgeoning cider club

• They recently began growing biodynamic hemp and plan to produce CBD oil, hydrosols and essential oils as part of their new medicinal plant program 

• PBS recently featured Jack Rabbit Hill in their series tasteMAKERS (available to stream online)

Biodynamic case production

1,000 (out of 1,500); the remaining 500 are organic (bottled wines)

100 (out of 5,000) (keg and box wines)

Certified

Vineyard and winery, organic, 2001-2018,  

Colorado Dept. of Agriculture, Stellar Certification Services; biodynamic, 2007-present, Demeter USA

Free

Farm tour 

$5

Tasting 

Jack Rabbit Hill Farm

26567 North Rd.

Hotchkiss CO 81419

970.234.9463

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