Hahn Estates: Wine from Monterey County
California Wine with Quality, Class and Affordability
Jan 6, 2009
When conjuring up thoughts of Californian wine, many automatically turn to Napa and Sonoma as the most well-known wine producing regions and while it’s true that there are countless stunning wines from these areas, they do not encompass everything California has to offer. Monterey County is located in California’s Central Coast, approximately 100 miles to the south of San Francisco, and is the only country cradled by 99 miles of spectacular Pacific coastline.
The climate here, due to the proximity of the Monterey Bay and the ocean, is different to other parts of the state. A cooling fog dominates in the mornings and late afternoons bridged by warm temperatures during the day, making the ideal situation for the growth of a number of different grape varieties.
Hahn Estates
It was due to the very unique quality of the climate and surroundings that Hahn Estates came to be as Nicolaus (Nicky) Hahn realized the potential for producing great wine in the area. Overlooking the Salinas Valley in the Santa Lucia Highlands towards the north of the county, were located a horse ranch (the Smith Ranch) and a neighbouring cattle ranch (Hook Ranch) that together became the vineyards of the Smith & Hook Winery, which today is still the top wine produced by Hahn Estates.
Today with just under 1,000 acres under vine throughout five ideally situated vineyards, Hahn Estates makes a series of wines under four different labels. Pinot Noir is the focus of the Lucienne label as the Santa Lucia Highlands well-suited to this fickle grape. The first vintage came in 2005 with an appellation wine and also a single vineyard designation from the Lone Oak estate vineyard. The Hahn Estate SLH label concentrates on offering the greatest expression from the grapes of the Santa Lucia Highlands and includes single varietals of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir.
The original wine created by the Hahn family was the Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon in 1980 and today the current vintage is 2006 and is still a favourite among wine lovers. The final tier in the Hahn platform is the Hahn Estates label. These wines are derived not only from the finest vineyards, but also from great passion and sense of place to showcase the beauty of the region in a wine. What’s more each wine is attractively priced and can and should be easily enjoyed frequently without overstretching the budget.
The Hahn Estates label consists of eight wines, all single varietals except for the Meritage which is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Viognier are the other highly recommended and consistently award-winning wines of the range. Jancis Robinson, world-renowned wine writer and Master of Wine, recently selected the Hahn Estates Monterey Chardonnay 2006 as one of four wines to be featured on the wine list for the upper class passengers on British Airways.
The wines of Monterey County, and particularly Hahn Estates, are exciting and enchanting and certainly worth seeking out.
