People
Our Family
Philip Hahn, Chairman
As Chairman of Hahn Family Wines, Philip is the second generation Hahn to oversee family winemaking in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. Philip, whose father Nicolaus founded Hahn, grew up on the family’s SLH vineyard estate where he spent time the way many children in winemaking families do: pruning vines in winter and picking grapes in fall.
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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 & California 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, Board Member
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.
Vineyard & Winemaking Team
Paul Clifton, General Manager and Vice President, Winemaking
A Monterey County native, Paul Clifton took a roundabout path to the world of winemaking. Tossing aside a degree in finance to explore a newfound love of wine, he began in the cellars of Carmel Valley and the Santa Cruz mountains, eventually heading to New Zealand to earn a post-graduate degree in viticulture. Paul joined Hahn Family Wines upon his return in 2003, and worked his way up the ladder, developing an innate understanding of Central Coast vineyards. His deep respect for the vineyards and sustainable winegrowing defines his work in the cellar and, ultimately, in the bottle.
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Patrick Headley, Director of Viticulture
A native to the Soledad Mission, Patrick was a third-generation farmer, taught to drive a tractor as soon as his legs were long enough to push the clutch. After studying soil science at Cal Poly SLO, he worked at Monterey County’s Agriculture Commissioner’s office and then University of California’s Cooperative Extension in Monterey for an eight-year stint, gaining a wealth of knowledge in all fields of agriculture. Patrick joined Hahn in 2007, and spends his days walking the same vineyards he explored as a child, always balancing vine health for exceptional wine quality.
Juan José Verdina, Winemaker
Born in Chile, Juan José Verdina travelled to the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey in 2002 to join the Hahn Estate’s cellar team. Over the years, he learned the trade hands on, moving from cellar to lab to bottling line to assistant winemaker. In 2008, he was named winemaker of Copa Del Rey, a Chilean joint-venture between the Hahn Family and the Canavaggio Family of Panama. Juan Jo returned to Hahn’s Central Coast team in 2011, and today works closely with Director of Winemaking Paul Clifton on all aspects of wine production, from grape to bottle.
Megan Conatser, Winemaker
A native Californian educated at Cal Poly SLO, Megan began her wine career in Central Coast tasting rooms, learning to explain wine to others as she herself learned to craft it. After two harvests at a custom crush facility, she joined Hahn as an enologist in 2011. She was promoted to Assistant Winemaker in 2015, then Winemaker in 2017, focusing on the Smith & Hook label’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blend. Working closely with Paul, Patrick and Juan Jo, Megan spends her harvest days checking the vineyards, monitoring fermentations, tasting, tasting, tasting as she goes.
Sales Team
National and Export Sales Team
Regional Sales Team
