After being raised in Philadelphia, studying Chemistry and Philosophy at Boston's Brandeis University, and ski bumming a bit in Colorado and Utah, Dan made his way to California in 1980 to do chemistry research at UC Berkeley. His passion for wine was by this point well developed, having long ago been introduced to the 1969 Burgundies by his brother.

Interested in chemistry on the one hand and an outdoor enthusiast on the other, Dan's eventual decision to enter the University of California Davis to study winemaking made perfect sense. It would allow him to exercise his scientific leanings and be connected to the land while indulging his increasingly curious palate. Dan graduated with an M.S. in Enology from Davis in 1987 while working at Robert Mondavi Winery.

Soon after graduation, Dan joined Schramsberg, the renowned Napa sparkling wine producer, as an associate winemaker. In 1990, Dan was recruited to be a Winemaker at La Crema Winery, a Burgundian-focused winery in the Russian River where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were the main focus. In 1993, Jess Jackson purchased La Crema. A year later, based on a duo of remarkable 1994 Pinot Noirs Dan produced at La Crema using fruit from the Dutton-Sanchietti and Arrendell vineyards, Jess Jackson asked Dan to develop a new winery, Hartford Court, and focus specifically on cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Dan’s appreciation for the beauty, magnitude, and the personality of extraordinary landscapes is reflected in his winemaking.