Skip to main content

Carmel Tasting Room opens daily 12-6. Estate Tasting Room opens Thurs. through Mon. 11-5. Wine tasting reservations recommended >

Contact Us
Cart 0 items: $0.00

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
1979
Nicky & Gaby Hahn Purchase Smith & Hook Vineyards

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

1980
1980
First Vintage of Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon Released
1990
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
1990
Doctor’s Vineyard Planted (Santa Lucia Highlands AVA)
1991
1991
Santa Lucia Highlands Awarded AVA Status

Due mainly to Nicky’s leadership, Santa Lucia Highlands is given AVA status

1992
1992
Lone Oak Vineyard Purchased (Santa Lucia Highlands AVA)

The Hahns now have 10% of Santa Lucia Highlands under plant

1994
1994
Ste. Nicolaus Vineyard Planted (Arroyo Seco AVA)
1997
1997
Hahn Estate opens Visitor Center / Tasting Room
1998
1998
Ste. Philippe Vineyard Purchased (Arroyo Seco AVA)

1,100 acres now under plant

2001
2001
The Hahn Family Invests in Significant Estate Vineyard Replant to Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
2003
2003
Winemaker Paul Clifton Joins the Hahn Team
2007
2007
Lucienne Single-Vineyard Wines Introduced
2013
2013
Hahn SLH Estate-Grown Wines Introduced
2017
2017
Hahn Carmel Tasting Room Opens
Present

Meet the Hahn Family

Philip Hahn, Chairman

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.

Read Complete Bio

Nicolaus “Nicky” Hahn, Founder<br><span>(1936-2018)</span>

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.

Read Complete Bio

Gaby Hahn, Founder

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.

Read Complete Bio

Caroline Hahn

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.

Read Complete Bio

We use cookies to optimize your experience, analyze traffic, and personalize content. To learn more, please visit our Privacy Policy.
By using our site without disabling cookies, you consent to our use of them.

X