Hahn are pinot specialists and make absolutely some of the best wines for the price of this extremely fragile grape, which most of the world’s wine connoisseurs dream of perfecting. Hahn were pioneers in the Santa Lucia Highlands and bought large areas already in the 1970s, long before the area was recognized as an AVA with the accompanying priceless cult wines. That’s why you get superb value-for-money in Hahn’s wine; something that normally rhymes badly with both pinot noir and California. The grapes for Hahn Winery Pinot Noir originate mainly from cooler plots in Monterey, where favorable sea breezes delay the ripening process compared to the warmer areas. Here, the grapes preserve the oxygen that is imperative for making good pinot noir, and the long growing season gives the grapes extra complexity. A controlled 1/3 of new French casks are used for storage, which gives the right micro-oxidation without dominating aromas. This pays off in scent and taste, which has a liberating clean and mouth-watering fruit with raspberry, cherry and slightly Christmas spiced undertones as well as discreet, toasted barrel notes. The wine has a light body but at the same time is very aromatic and mouth-watering and almost invites you to drink it in large sips. Enjoy this wine carefully tempered – at 15-17° – in a spacious wine glass, where it will be an excellent companion to fried poultry, mushroom-dominated dishes, skin-on fried fish or not too spicy Asian food, if you forgo the white wines! Hahn Pinot Noir is ready to drink now, but can also be left for a few years. Over time, the fruit fades and more mulled nuances come into view.
