Wine in HD
Hatton Daniels Wine Cellars is a tiny, fiercely independent Sonoma winery that has been making light, energetic, and deeply unusual wines since 2009. [^147^] [^148^] Founded by four friends — Daniel Fishman, John Hatton, Daniel Caddigan, and John Black — over a few bottles of wine shared one evening, the project began with a simple goal: to let each vintage speak for itself, without forcing any style upon the wines. [^147^] Over time, that philosophy evolved into something more radical: the belief that the best way for a wine to express itself is to ensure it is made from nothing but grapes, with no additions except a small sulfur addition to protect from oxidation in bottle. [^147^]
From a Cornell Wine Class to a PhD Dropout in Sonoma
Daniel Fishman did not grow up in wine. He first fell in love with it thanks to the Wine Appreciation 101 class he took at Cornell his senior year — a casual introduction that would eventually redirect his entire life. [^147^] He originally planned to pursue a career in academia, enrolling in a Psychology PhD program in Vancouver. But in 2007, he made a decision that would define everything: he left the PhD program to pursue his dream of making wine in California. [^147^]
Fishman's wine education was hands-on and international. He worked his first harvest as an intern for the Donum Estate in 2007, then went on to work at two wine shops — Wally's in Los Angeles and Calvert Woodley in Washington D.C. — while interning at Wither Hills in New Zealand. [^147^] In 2008, he returned to Sonoma to intern for Auteur and Eric Kent, and was hired as a shared assistant between the two brands after harvest. The following year, 2009, Hatton Daniels was founded — the name a combination of the surnames of the four co-owners: Fishman, Hatton, Caddigan, and Black. [^147^]
In 2012, Fishman took over as Winemaker for the Donum Estate — a significant appointment that gave him access to some of Sonoma's most prestigious Pinot Noir vineyards. [^147^] But Hatton Daniels remained his creative outlet — the place where he could experiment with varieties that most California winemakers ignore, make wines without additives, and pursue a lightness and energy that the mainstream market often dismisses.
The other co-owners — John Hatton, Daniel Caddigan, and John Black — pooled their resources and pursued the shared vision alongside Fishman. [^147^] While Fishman is the winemaker, the project is genuinely collaborative: four friends who recognised talent, shared a bottle, and decided to build something together. It is the kind of origin story that defines the best natural wine projects — not born from inheritance or investment, but from friendship, curiosity, and the belief that wine should be honest.
"The other stuff has been done. I really like Austrian wines, so when we found these grapes, it was a no-brainer."
— Daniel Fishman
Nothing But Grapes & Early Harvest
Hatton Daniels' philosophy is deceptively simple: the best way for a wine to express itself is to ensure it is made from nothing but grapes. [^147^] This means no additives — no commercial yeast, no enzymes, no tannins, no acid adjustments, no sugar, no colour extracts. The only addition is a small amount of sulfur at bottling to protect from oxidation. [^147^] Everything else comes from the vineyard, the vintage, and the variety.
To make this work, the fruit needs to be picked early enough that it retains plenty of natural acidity. [^147^] This leads to wines that are lighter in style than typical California offerings — lower in alcohol, higher in acid, full of energy and freshness rather than weight and extraction. But these are not simple wines. They have depth, complexity, and a savoury character that comes from patience and restraint rather than manipulation. "This means that the fruit needs to be picked early enough that it has plenty of natural acidity, and this leads to wines that are a bit lighter in style, but that are full of energy, and still have plenty of depth and complexity," the winery explains. [^147^]
The vineyard sourcing is where Hatton Daniels truly distinguishes itself. Fishman has a particular fascination with Austrian and German varieties — grapes that are rarely seen in California but that thrive in the state's cooler pockets. [^139^] [^137^] The portfolio includes Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, and Malvasia Bianca — varieties that most California winemakers have never even considered. [^137^] These are sourced from Mokelumne Glen Vineyard in Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA, a site planted by German immigrants in the 1990s that has become a mecca for unusual varieties in California. [^145^]
The Pinot Noir comes from Sonoma County — Fishman's home turf, where he has spent his career working with the variety. The Chardonnay is also Sonoma-sourced, made with the same minimal-intervention philosophy: native yeast, no additives, early harvest for acidity, and a lightness that is rare in California Chardonnay. [^133^] Every wine is made the same way — the method doesn't change, only the grape and the vineyard. This consistency forces the raw materials to do the talking.
No commercial yeast, no enzymes, no tannins, no acid adjustments, no sugar, no colour extracts. [^147^] The only addition is a small amount of sulfur at bottling. Wine reduced to its essential elements.
Fruit picked early to retain natural acidity. [^147^] Lower alcohol, higher energy, lighter style — but still full of depth and complexity. The antithesis of the ripe, extracted California norm.
Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, Malvasia Bianca — varieties rarely seen in California. [^137^] [^139^] Sourced from Mokelumne Glen Vineyard in Lodi, planted by German immigrants in the 1990s.
"Wines that are a bit lighter in style, but that are full of energy, and still have plenty of depth and complexity." [^147^] The Hatton Daniels signature — drinkable, alive, and utterly distinctive.
Unusual Varieties in Unusual Places
Hatton Daniels occupies a unique space in the California wine landscape. It is not a natural wine project in the trendy, urban-tasting-room sense. It is not a conventional Sonoma winery in the Pinot-and-Chardonnay sense. It is something else entirely: a tiny operation that treats California as a blank canvas for varieties from Austria, Germany, and beyond — making wines that are light, acidic, and savoury in a state famous for ripe, heavy, and fruit-driven bottles. [^139^]
Fishman's interest in Austrian wines is personal and deep. "I really like Austrian wines," he told Recordnet in 2015, "so when we found these grapes, it was a no-brainer." [^139^] The "these grapes" he refers to are the Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, and Zweigelt from Mokelumne Glen — varieties that most California winemakers would dismiss as too cold-climate, too acidic, too unfamiliar for the market. Fishman saw them as an opportunity to make something no one else was making, to bring a different kind of energy to California wine.
The Malvasia Bianca is another outlier — a white variety from the Mediterranean that Fishman treats with the same minimal-intervention approach. The result is a wine that is aromatic, floral, and textured — utterly unlike typical California whites. [^137^] The Pinot Noir, while more conventional in variety, is unconventional in style: picked early, fermented with native yeast, no additives, and a lightness that recalls Burgundy more than the Russian River Valley. [^133^]
The labels are as distinctive as the wines — each one a piece of original artwork, playful and colourful, reflecting the creative energy of the project. The website is simple and direct: "Bringing you wine in HD. Buy some HD." [^142^] There is no pretension, no elaborate brand story, no attempt to position Hatton Daniels as anything other than what it is: four friends making honest wine from unusual grapes, one vintage at a time.
RDB 2021 — Crunchy Red Fruit, Bright Acid, Fresh Finish
"Crunchy red fruit, bright acid, fresh finish. Classic HD weeknight red wine." [^144^] The RDB — presumably a red blend or a specific cuvée designation — is Hatton Daniels' signature weeknight wine: the kind of bottle you open on a Tuesday, pour into a tumbler, and drink with whatever is in the fridge. It is light enough to not demand a special occasion, complex enough to reward attention, and honest enough to remind you why you fell in love with wine in the first place. Made from early-harvested fruit with plenty of natural acidity, fermented with native yeast, and bottled with nothing but a small sulfur addition, it is the purest expression of the Hatton Daniels philosophy: nothing but grapes, picked early, made honestly. At around $24–$28, it is exactly the kind of wine that Fishman would drink himself — accessible, interesting, and utterly unpretentious. The perfect introduction to a winery that proves California can do light, energetic, and unusual just as well as it does heavy, extracted, and familiar.
The Hatton Daniels Range
Hatton Daniels Wine Cellars produces a small but focused portfolio of minimal-intervention wines from vineyards across California — primarily Sonoma County for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Mokelumne Glen Vineyard in Lodi for Austrian and German varieties. [^137^] [^147^] All wines are made with the same philosophy: nothing but grapes, early harvest for natural acidity, native yeast fermentation, no additives except a small sulfur addition at bottling, and a lightness of style that is rare in California. [^147^] The range reflects Daniel Fishman's fascination with unusual varieties and his commitment to letting each vintage speak for itself. [^139^] Prices are approximate and in USD.