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Our Story
Here at Hahn Family Wines, we’re proud to be a family-owned-and-operated winery. Our founders Nicky and Gaby Hahn first came to the Santa Lucia Highlands in the late 1970s, and the Swiss-born couple quickly recognized the region’s potential to produce wines of exceptional nuance and character, worthy of attention on the world stage.
“We all produce world class fruit from well managed vineyards. We deserve therefore our own recognition with our own premium price and marketable exciting appellation that wine writers can discover, laud and praise.”Nicky Hahn, 1988
Timeline
1979
Nicky & Gaby Hahn Purchase Smith & Hook Vineyards
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
1980
First Vintage of Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon Released
1990
A Shift to Cool-Climate Varietals
Nicky recognizes that the cool climate of the Santa Lucia Highlands is best suited for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
1990
Doctor’s Vineyard Planted (Santa Lucia Highlands AVA)
1991
Santa Lucia Highlands Awarded AVA Status
Due mainly to Nicky’s leadership, Santa Lucia Highlands is given AVA status
1992
Lone Oak Vineyard Purchased (Santa Lucia Highlands AVA)
The Hahns now have 10% of Santa Lucia Highlands under plant
1994
Ste. Nicolaus Vineyard Planted (Arroyo Seco AVA)
1997
Hahn Estate opens Visitor Center / Tasting Room
1998
Ste. Philippe Vineyard Purchased (Arroyo Seco AVA)
1,100 acres now under plant
2001
The Hahn Family Invests in Significant Estate Vineyard Replant to Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
2003
Winemaker Paul Clifton Joins the Hahn Team
2007
Lucienne Single-Vineyard Wines Introduced
2013
Hahn SLH Estate-Grown Wines Introduced
2017
Hahn Carmel Tasting Room Opens
Present
Meet the Hahn Family
Philip Hahn, Chairman
The son of Nicky and Gaby Hahn, Philip grew up on the family’s SLH vineyard estate where he pruned vines, harvested grapes and helped in the winery. He pursued a degree in international politics at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and then embarked on an eight-year career on Wall Street. He returned to the winery in 2007 to take the helm as chairman of Hahn Family Wines.
Nicolaus “Nicky” Hahn, Founder
(1936-2018)
Nicky Hahn’s commitment to the Monterey region began in the late 1970s. With a background in international business and a deep passion for wine, Nicky committed himself to making the Santa Lucia Highlands a beacon of world-class winemaking. He and his wife Gaby purchased what is now Hahn’s Smith & Hook Vineyards and produced their first vintage in 1980. In 1988, Nicky embarked on the multi-year process of submitting the Santa Lucia Highlands for AVA status — hard work that paid off in 1991. Nicky retired from day-to-day operations in 2007 and passed away in March of 2018.
Gaby Hahn, Founder
After earning law degrees in both Germany and France, Gaby Hahn followed her passion for the arts to the Tate Gallery in London. After moving to California, she continued her commitment to the arts, lecturing on British & Californian art, impressionism and sculpture. She’s served as a trustee for the Monterey Museum of Art, the Monterey Symphony, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and founded an art appreciation unit to introduce the arts to children in Salinas. Today, her art is inspired by the family’s 50,000-acre wild animal conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya.
Caroline Hahn
An ambassador for Hahn Family Wines, Caroline educates consumers about the Santa Lucia Highlands and her family’s history and vineyards at formal wine tastings and dinners. Caroline is the namesake of Hahn’s “Doctor’s Vineyard,” having earned a PhD as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. She developed a passion for horses growing up on her family’s property and specializes in equine neurology as a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Edinburgh.