This winery was founded in the 1970s by German-Swiss immigrants Nicky and Gaby Hahn. They initially planted Cabernet vines and began winemaking, but in the 1980s they switched to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which thrive in cooler environments, due to the region's characteristics influenced by the cold currents of the Pacific Ocean and the deep, cold waters of Monterey Bay. In 1988, Nicky, convinced of the region's potential, began working to have Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH) recognized as an AVA, and it was finally recognized in 1995. Today, Santa Lucia Highlands is widely known as a renowned wine-producing region for fine wines, especially Pinot Noir. Today, the Hahn family owns six vineyards in Monterey County, four vineyards totaling 260 hectares in SLH, and two vineyards totaling 184 hectares in the Arroyo Seco AVA to the south, for a total of 444 hectares of vineyards. Of this, 140ha is planted with Pinot Noir, accounting for 12% of SLH's entire Pinot Noir vineyards, making it the winery with the largest share. In addition, it has the largest variety of clones in the region, currently cultivating 21 different Pinot Noirs. The combination of diverse soils, climates, amount of sunlight due to the slope direction, and clones allows for the creation of excellent Pinot Noir that cannot be imitated anywhere else, and the Pinot Noir expresses the individuality of the terroir of each of its own vineyards. In this region, the growing season is about 25 days longer than other grape-growing regions in California, and as a result, the grapes have a rich flavor, depth, structure, etc., producing a wonderful wine with a sense of concentration.