Ellipsis Wine Company
Napa Valley AVA
Ultra boutique, small batches of Northern California wines
Located down a country road outside of Cloverdale, Ellipsis Wine Company was founded in 2008 by Jonathan Neisingh and two friends with a passion for producing premium northern California wine. The name of the winery, Ellipsis, refers to the three-dot punctuation mark and the idea of 'something left unsaid.' The three dots represent the three friends and their combined efforts to make Ellipsis Wine Company a success.
Jonathan Neisingh grew up in the heart of Sonoma County, attending Healdsburg High School and enjoying the quiet charm of a town that was then virtually unknown. He left to attend college at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he studied Agribusiness with an emphasis in Wine and Viticulture. His college roommate had grown up in the family winery business, and after visiting his family's estate near Mt. Veeder in Napa Valley (and sampling a few special bottles from the family's cellar), something sparked inside Jonathan and he knew this was an industry he wanted to be a part of. After graduating, Jonathan returned home to Healdsburg, a region that was now one of the world's most sought-after wine destinations.
Jonathan began dabbling with home winemaking and teamed up with a few of his childhood friends to explore this new found hobby. This hobby quickly turned into a passion after Jonathan's quick hiatus to Madera, Portugal. "My buddy and I went on a surfing trip to Portugal, and when we weren't in the water, we were visiting wineries and meeting with winemakers," Jonathan explained. "It was such a great experience to see the Old World influences and traditional winemaking techniques. It felt very personal and it was incredible to see wine as such a prominent part of the culture."
When Jonathan returned home, he teamed up with Chris Sevilla and Dan Fitzgerald to make Ellipsis Wine Company a reality. They chose to focus on exclusive small batches of boutique wines, made from grapes sourced throughout Sonoma and Napa Counties. Chris Sevilla was Jonathan's childhood friend with a strong financial background, and Dan Fitzgerald was a Santa Rosa resident with winemaking experience in Australia and Napa Valley. Together, they were determined to make Ellipsis Wine Company into something special. Their first vintage in 2008 included 60 cases of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and 120 cases of Anderson Valley Rose of Pinot Noir. The wine grew in popularity, and so did Ellipsis Wine Company. 2008 was also the year that Jonathan met his future wife Devika Maskey, who shared his passion for wine and food.
Devika also studied Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (with an emphasis in Wine Business), and had experience interning at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles and working as an enology assistant at Templeton's Wild Horse Winery. Today she stands as the Director of Communications for Ellipsis Wine Company and handles all of the marketing for their award-winning wines. As Ellipsis Wine Company grew, Jonathan's original partners did too, and eventually followed other business opportunities. The winery is now run by Jonathan and Devika, with the help of 30- year veteran winemaker Rick Davis who joined the Ellipsis team in 2012. He works closely with Jonathan when selecting appropriate vineyard sites and serves as a mentor in the cellar when crafting the Ellipsis wines. It's been an excellent fit and Ellipsis' wines continue to garner well-earned recognition at nearby wine competitions.
"We currently produce about 1,100 cases overall," Jonathan revealed. "We ramped up in 2011 from about 500 cases to our current level, and we plan on maintaining that for the foreseeable future." Ellipsis' production includes 3 single-vineyard-designate Pinot Noirs, Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and a Rose of Pinot Noir.
The Ellipsis wines are made at Owl Ridge Wine Services, a custom crush winemaking facility in the Russian River Valley. Someday, Jonathan and Devika hope to add a production facility and estate vineyard near the red barn on the Sonoma County ranch where they live. "This is a long-term project," Jonathan finalized. "Devika and I hope the winery will be something our kids can be involved in someday."
This couple has a lot to be proud of and we're happy to share this rising star winery with our Pinot Noir Series members. Enjoy!
Rick Davis - Winemaker & Mentor
Rick Davis became the consulting winemaker for Ellipsis Wine Company in 2012. His passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and expertise working with cool climate varietals has made him a great fit with Ellipsis owners Jonathan Neisingh and Devika Maskey, and his efforts have resulted in excellent wines for the new Northern California wine brand. Rick also serves as a mentor to Jonathan. The two work very closely in the cellar and make all critical winemaking decisions together.
Rick Davis has had a lifelong interest in wine and food, and it has brought him from a cellar-hand at Rivendell Winery (a small winery in New Paltz, New York) to a proprietor and winemaker of his own label, Calstar Cellars. He has spent much of his career in the Sonoma County area, working with many of the region's top producers. He gained valuable winemaking experience at Flowers Winery, Londer Vineyards, Halleck Vineyards, La Czar Vineyards, and Alcina Cellars.
Rick's passion is to produce high quality, food-friendly wines and he has certainly achieved that throughout his career.
Napa Valley
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Ellipsis' 2011 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir comes from the De La Montanya Vineyard - Tina's Block, a small 15-acre vineyard planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Viognier. Jonathan Neisingh chose this vineyard for its ability to produce world-class Pinot Noir, and also because of its sustainable farming techniques. This family owned vineyard was planted by seventh generation farmers who are truly dedicated to producing top notch fruit.
The Russian River Valley is located in the heart of Sonoma County, just 55 miles north of San Francisco. The seasonal fog and cool marine influences give this region an uncommonly long growing season, which creates ideal conditions for cool-climate loving grape varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These growing conditions often result in wines with incredible depth and richness that still maintain their bright natural acidity.
