Hahn Family Wines SLH Chardonnay 2021

Medium gold color; Meyer lemon, lime, golden apple, melon, pear, banana, vanilla, oak, honey, orange blossom on the nose and palate.

Hahn Family Wines SLH Chardonnay 2021

Dry; no tannin, fresh acidity. Medium body. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Hahn notes it was another remarkable growing season. Early spring irrigation, then warm spring temperatures that allowed good canopy growth. Higher summer temperatures slowed growth some, but cooler weather came around harvest and allowed for gradual fruit ripening, concentrating flavors and naturally balancing acidity. 14.5% ABV

Fruit from the Santa Lucia Highlands (thus the SLH name) are carefully picked and sorted, de-stemmed, sent directly to press. Fermented in small French oak barrels. Wine hand-stirred on its lees for 10 months of oak aging. Wine from the various barrels are then blended and bottled. Straightforward chard with beam of SLH fruit rather than complexity and nuance. Pleasing, long finish.

Hahn Family Wines is, as the label asserts, family-owned and operated. Founders Nicky and Gaby Hahn came to the Santa Lucia Highlands in the late 1970s. The Swiss-born couple soon recognized the region’s potential for quality wines. Nicky Hahn in 1988, fighting for Santa Lucia Highlands recognition, noted: “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.”

Hahn Family Wines vineyard
Hahn Family Wines Nicky Hahn soon after purchasing Smith & Hook Vineyards

The couple purchased Smith & Hook Vineyards, planted exclusively in cabernet sauvignon, in 1979. They released their first Smith & Hook cab the following year. In 1990, the Hahns realized Santa Lucia was better suited for cooler climate grapes—pinot noir and chardonnay. In 1991, Santa Lucia Highlands was awarded AVA status after heavy lobbying by Nicky. The Hahns continued to obtain Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards throughout the 1990s. They also opened a visitor center, the the Hahn Carmel tasting room in 2017.

Hahn Family Wines chairman Philip Hahn

In 2007, the Hahns turned over management of their operation to Philip Hahn after he had an eight-year career on Wall Street. Philip is the chairman today. Founder Nicolaus “Nicky” Hahn passed away in 2018. Co-founder Gaby Hahn earned law degrees in both Germany and France before focusing on wine; she pursues art appreciation and her own artistic efforts today. Hahn daughter, Caroline, holds a PhD in veterinary medicine from the University of Edinburgh and serves as an ambassador for Hahn Family Wines. Intellectual heft is part of the Hahn Family wines tool kit.

Hahn Family Wines SLH Chardonnay 2021 is clean, brisk, uncomplicated. Meyer lemon, golden apple present in silky mouthfeel. Deft use of oak to allow Santa Lucia Highland fruit to shine. Pair with fish and seafood—pan-seared Chilean sea bass, crab cakes, lobster, pan-seared scallops; roast pork; chicken dishes with creamy white sauces, also barbecued will work; light pasta dishes; fresh summer corn, salads. Cheese—creamy, high-acid goat cheese, humboldt fog, chèvre, Pennyroyal laychee; creamy or semi-hard cheese; rich, buttery triple-crèmes; semi-hard cheese; brie, camembert, gouda, gruyère. $23-27

Hahn Wines website

Hahn Family Wines Ste. Nicolas vineyard
Hahn Family Wines co-founder Gaby Hahn
Hahn Family Wines founder Nicky Hahn (1936-2018)
Hahn Family Wines ambassador Caroline Hahn