The Winemaker
“Great wines are created when many talented hands work together in harmony with the vineyards.” Paul Clifton
Paul Clifton
Winemaker Paul Clifton joined the Hahn Estates team in January of 2003 and became the founding winemaker for Lucienne in 2005. A native of the Monterey Bay, he has a lifetime love of the beauty of the area and is firmly committed to its potential for excellence in winegrowing. Paul graduated from college expecting to work in the financial world, but, as a soft spoken and introspective person, he soon found that the lure of working with nature was in his soul.
Paul was a firefighter for a few years, and became involved in winemaking as a hobby. In 1996 he decided to make a career change to winemaking professionally. “Trying to save forests from burning was challenging and rewarding, but at that point in my life, I felt that my love of the land was more centered in agriculture.” The hoses that Paul now uses pump wine instead of water.
Once the choice was made to change careers, Paul began working for Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, where he was mentored by Don Blackburn, their winemaker at the time and one of California’s top Pinot Noir craftsmen. Paul built a solid foundation working his way up from the bottom of the cellars to cellarmaster. In 1999, he went to work for Byington Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains as Assistant Winemaker.
In the vineyards of Byington Paul’s passion for Pinot Noir and cool climate viticulture became more focused. His thirst for making top notch Pinot led him to want to further his knowledge of vineyards and winemaking styles. A desire to travel and develop his knowledge of Pinot Noir led him to New Zealand. In 2001 he was accepted at Lincoln University on the South Island of New Zealand where he received a postgraduate degree in Viticulture.
When Paul returned from New Zealand in 2003, he began working at Hahn with two other winemakers, Adam Lazarre and consultant Barry Gnekow. Each one is a veteran winemaker and each has contributed their knowledge to the production of Lucienne. In addition, Paul has assembled a solid winemaking staff. He believes that great wines are created when many talented hands work together in harmony with the vineyards. Paul works closely with his staff, and credits them for many of the successes of the winery.
With Paul’s understanding of the vineyards, solid winemaking staff and passion for Pinot, Lucienne joins the world of outstanding Pinot Noir.
