Cave Hatano
カーヴハタノ
Old-vine Chardonnay from a 800m Chikuma Valley hillside, made with minimal intervention.
About Cave Hatano
- Founded
- 2017
- 9 years ago
- Location
- 東御市
- 長野県
- Wines listed
- 2
- White 1, Red 1
- Main grapes
- Chardonnay, Merlot
Cave Hatano is a small winery in the Kurakake district of Tomi City, Nagano, in the heart of the Chikuma River Wine Valley. It was founded by Nobutaka Hatano, who moved to the area from Saitama in 2006 at age 22 and spent about seven years as a viticulturist and winemaker at Villa d'Est before going independent in 2013 and formally establishing Cave Hatano in 2017. The winery farms a south-facing hillside vineyard at roughly 800 meters overlooking the Chikuma River, including Chardonnay and Merlot vines over 20 years old inherited from a local grower, alongside Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah sourced from its own plots and partner farms. Hatano avoids herbicides and minimizes insecticide use, favoring careful site selection and grape ripeness over strict natural-wine dogma, and sells much of the wine directly to customers he knows personally.
Who Is This For?
For drinkers who want honest, terroir-focused Japanese Chardonnay and Merlot from old vines, made by a hands-on grower-winemaker rather than a large commercial producer.
Wines of Cave Hatano
Location & Nearby
- Address
- 長野県東御市新張525-4View map ↗
- Founded
- 2017
Source: c-hatano.com (checked Sep 2026) / ozmall.co.jp (checked Sep 2026)
The pin with the gold outline marks Cave Hatano.
Nearby wineries
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Cave Hatano located?
- Cave Hatano is in the Kurakake district of Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture, part of the Chikuma River Wine Valley, with its vineyard on a south-facing slope at about 800 meters elevation.
- Who founded Cave Hatano?
- Nobutaka Hatano founded Cave Hatano. He moved from Saitama to Tomi in 2006, trained for about seven years as a viticulturist and winemaker at Villa d'Est, went independent in 2013, and formally established the winery in 2017.
- What grape varieties does Cave Hatano grow?
- The estate's own vineyard is centered on Chardonnay vines over 20 years old, plus Merlot and Pinot Gris; Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc are sourced from its own plots and partner growers.
- What is Cave Hatano's winemaking philosophy?
- Hatano avoids herbicides and minimizes insecticide use, choosing varieties suited to the site and prioritizing grape ripeness and terroir expression over strict adherence to natural-wine dogma.
- Can visitors buy Cave Hatano wine directly?
- Yes. The winery runs an on-site café and shop open on weekends and holidays from 11:00 to 17:00, and much of the wine is sold directly to customers the winemaker knows personally.