Hahn Winery
Hahn Winery
About
As you sip on our award winning wines, take in the sights and sounds of true wine country as you look out over the Salinas Valley. Our tasting options include award winning wines from Hahn Winery, Hahn SLH Estate, Lucienne, and Smith & Hook. Also, sample reserve and small lot selections that are only available here at the winery.
Location Description
The Hahn Estate Tasting Room is nestled in heart of the Santa Lucia Highlands.
Features
- Producer of award-winning handcrafted wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County for more than 30 years.
Additional Information
- Meeting / Conference Facilities:
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- Dog Friendly:
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- Wine Tasting:
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Average Bottle Price
Winemaker
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Greg received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1989. Since then, he has embarked on a myriad of careers, including a stint in a nuclear chemistry lab, bartending in New Orleans, commercial fishing in Alaska and several years in a traveling African band. He landed here at Hahn Estate in July of 2003 working as a lab technician. He has since then become the Winemaker, and now oversees all of our off-site wine production, as well as maintaining a personal connection with all of our contracted winery partners. Greg considers working at Hahn Estate to be his dream job, and plans on being here for many years to come. In his spare time, Greg enjoys spending time with his family, playing soccer, and landscaping in his yard. On a good day here you may catch him playing bagpipes in our beautiful hilltop vineyards.
Megan Conatser
Megan Conatser, the Enologist for Hahn Family Wines grew up in the wine region of the Central Coast in California. Megan earned her B.S. degree at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in Recreation, and Parks Management Administration and also obtained a minor in Wine and Viticulture. After college, Megan dappled in teaching and coaching girls basketball but found herself with a different desire and a more stable industry. Having held a job in the wine industry during college and helping in her family’s Syrah vineyard & winemaking process, the wine industry quickly fell into place for Megan. She started her career with wine as a Lab Technician and moved up to Laboratory Supervisor at a custom crush facility in her hometown, King City. After two years of handling the tough and grueling harvests that custom crush facilities are known for, Megan found herself at Hahn and has been here since 2011. Megan enjoys everything outdoors, especially hunting; duck hunting being her favorite, and fishing. Megan also likes watching sports, country music, her animals, staying active and participates annually in the Wildflower triathlon. Megan enjoys her work in laboratory analysis and winemaking at Hahn, where she can enjoy the beautiful view, unbridled wildlife, and great wine.
History
The Team
Nicolaus Hahn's commitment to Monterey's wines and his vision of their potential began 30 years ago when his adventurous spirit brought him to the area in search of world-class vineyard properties. His original investment and continued support was climaxed by a three-year revitalization program through 2004, which brought the winery and its Hahn Winery and Smith & Hook brands international acclaim. Nicky, a Swiss citizen, grew up in both the U.S. and in Europe. He studied economics, starting his professional career as an arbitrageur in Paris. He also worked as a credit analyst in New York and for years was based in London as the chairman for a leading international computer software company. Nicky and his wife Gaby now divide their time between their homes in Monterey and Zurich and their 45,000 acre wildlife preserve in Africa where Nicky works on saving wildlife and strengthening the economy.
Anthony Baldini, President
As president of Hahn Family Wines and Hahn Estates, Tony Baldini brings decades of wine industry experience. Tony was raised on one of Napa Valley’s premier luxury estate vineyards and later earned a BA in Economics from the University of California at Davis and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley, Haas School of Business. Prior to Hahn, Tony managed luxury brands for Constellation Wines and Jackson Family Wines as well as the entire range of US and export wines at Don Sebastiani & Sons. Tony, his wife Caroline and their two children moved to reside in Napa.
Paul Clifton, Director of Winemaking/General Manager
Paul Clifton joined the Hahn Estate team in 2003, after finishing a postgraduate degree in Viticulture/Enology in New Zealand. In 1996, he left a career in firefighting to become a winemaker, a hobby of his until then. Paul built a solid foundation in the industry, starting out in the cellars of Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, then moving to Byington Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains as assistant winemaker. As a native of the Monterey Bay, his passions lie in the beauty of the area, its potential for excellence in winegrowing, and the people he works with. His favorite wine varietal is Pinot Noir.
Joshua Cairns, Director of Marketing
Having been with Hahn Family Wines for the last 10 years, Joshua has learned a great deal while serving in various capacities including direct-to-consumer, e-commerce and website manager. As Director of Marketing, he manages all trade and consumer marketing initiatives for the company’s nine wine brands, including Hahn Estate and Cycles Gladiator. He oversees Hahn’s marketing team in crafting regional and national marketing campaigns which blend the more than 30 years of Hahn Estate’s wine making expertise with cutting-edge consumer and industry technology. Born in Connecticut, his family eventually settled in Napa where he grew up before heading to UC Berkeley for a BA in Classical History. He currently resides in Albany, CA with his wife and can likely be found exploring the various restaurants of San Francisco.
Andy Mitchell, Director of Viticulture
One of the key elements of award winning wines is the grapes and the grapes from Hahn Estate Vineyards are amongst the best in the world thanks to the dedication and diligence of Andy Mitchell. Andy joined Hahn Estate in 1998 with a goal to take our vineyards to a world class level. With over 23 years of viticulture experience and a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, he has managed accomplish that goal. He spent the past several years changing the vineyard varietals to fit the local terroir, from Bordeaux to Burgundy and Rhone grapes. In addition to his work within the vineyards, Andy is also the liaison for all grower relations with various vintner organizations. He and his wife Benita have two grown sons, and in his spare time he enjoys playing tennis, camping and photography. His favorite wine varietal happens to be whatever is in the glass in front of him.
Dyon J Foster, Executive Chef
Raised near Houston, Texas, Dyon joined Hahn in 2012 and brings over a decade of wine and hospitality experience to the Hahn Estate culinary program. After a tour of duty in the United States Navy, he returned to the restaurant industry and worked as a server, bartender, wine steward, and restaurant manager developing diverse skills and feeding his passion for food and wine. Dyon’s eagerness to learn more about flavors and pairings led him to move from restaurant management to the kitchen. He graduated from the Culinary Center of Monterey in 2010. Dyon’s culinary style focuses on using high quality local ingredients that blend techniques and flavors from the Mediterranean, France, Germany, Mexico and the Pacific Rim. In his spare time Dyon enjoys cooking with his friends and family, hiking, and working with his wife and son in the garden.
Rebecca Clifton, Cellar Master
Rebecca Clifton attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo where in 1998, she obtained a B.S. Degree in Forestry and Natural Resources Management. Her love for the outdoors lead to her working for Edna Valley Vineyard and a fire hand crew for the Los Padres National Forest throughout college. The summer after she graduated, Rebecca moved to Big Sur, California where she worked on a fire engine crew for the Los Padres National Forest. The following winter, she took a cellar hand position at Byington Winery in the mountains of Santa Cruz. Rebecca moved to Christchurch, New Zealand in 2001 pursuing more knowledge and experience in winemaking and viticulture, as well as traveling the countryside. She returned to the U.S. in January, 2003 and started as a cellar hand at Hahn Family Wines a few months later. In 2004, Rebecca got married and was promoted to Cellar Master until May 2006 when their first daughter, Ella was born. She enjoyed her time as a stay home Mom helping at Hahn during Harvest. Their second child, Amberley, was born in September, 2009. In December 2011, Rebecca came back to Hahn part-time working as the Cellar Master and enjoys her time here. Rebecca is still very active in the outdoors camping with her family, running, mountain biking, participating in triathlons, skiing, and surfing.