The appointment follows a formative year that brought winemaking home to the estate and introduced The Studio tasting experience
NAPA VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As ELLMAN Estate Winery celebrates one year of welcoming guests to its Napa Valley estate, the family-owned winery on the Silverado Trail announces the appointment of Michael Ploetz as General Manager. The anniversary marks a formative year of hospitality, highlighted by the family bringing winemaking home to the estate and opening The Studio, its tasting space at the base of Soda Canyon in the shadow of Atlas Peak.
Founded by vintners Lance Ellman and Neil Ellman, the estate reflects the family’s South African roots and long connection to Napa Valley. During early visits to the valley, the Ellmans saw parallels between Napa’s two mountain ranges and the landscape of their native Stellenbosch. The family’s 20-acre estate vineyard, rooted in an ancient riverbed of cobbled, well-drained soils, was planted in 1999 to the “Palmer” clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2016, fruit from the vineyard became the foundation for the family’s first estate wine.
In its first year welcoming guests, ELLMAN brought winemaking home to the estate after years at custom-crush facilities and opened The Studio, its tasting space within view of the vineyard that shapes the wines. Today, the estate farms, produces, and shares its wines from one place, fulfilling a long-held vision for the family.
“Our family came to Napa Valley to build something enduring and to bring generations of entrepreneurship into a more personal expression of hospitality,” said Neil Ellman, proprietor. “Michael understands that vision. He brings the care and precision this estate deserves, and he shares our belief that a great winery is built on relationships as much as on the land.”
Ploetz joined ELLMAN in early 2026 as Estate and Sales Director, working closely with longtime General Manager Justin Vazquez as the estate prepared for its continued evolution. He brings more than two decades of experience in luxury hospitality, including senior food and beverage leadership roles with The Peninsula Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Ploetz also led operations and openings for the José Andrés Group in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. In Napa Valley, Ploetz has led direct-to-consumer and hospitality programs at estates associated with winemakers Michel Rolland, Philippe Melka, and Jennifer Williams. As General Manager, he oversees the estate’s hospitality, membership, and continued growth.
“After twenty years in luxury hospitality, I’ve learned that the most memorable places are not simply impressive; they are warm, personal, and deeply welcoming,” said Ploetz. “That is what makes The Studio and the estate so special. Guests feel at ease from the moment they arrive, as if they have been invited into the Ellman family’s home. As the estate grows, my focus is to preserve that feeling in every guest experience.”
Ploetz steps into a wine program anchored by estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and led by winemaker Andy Erickson, whose Napa Valley experience includes work with Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, and Dalla Valle. Erickson works alongside associate winemaker Patrick Nyeholt and vineyard manager Domenick Bianco. The estate produces a limited, estate-grown portfolio led by its flagship Elaine Cabernet Sauvignon, a two-barrel bottling made only in select vintages and dedicated to the matriarch of the Ellman family.
Vazquez, ELLMAN’s General Manager for the past eight years, helped shape the winery from its first vintage through the opening of the estate and The Studio. The transition reflects a planned handoff as the estate builds on its first year of hospitality. Vazquez will remain connected to the Ellman family in a brand and creative capacity as he transitions to launch a new creative studio with his wife.
About ELLMAN Estate Winery
ELLMAN Estate Winery is a family-owned Napa Valley estate on the Silverado Trail. The winery farms a 20-acre vineyard planted in 1999 at the base of Soda Canyon beneath Atlas Peak. Founded by vintners Lance and Neil Ellman, the estate produces a limited portfolio of estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and other Napa Valley wines made by winemaker Andy Erickson. The wines are available through the winery’s mailing list and standing allocation. To learn more, visit ellmanwine.com.
Media contact:
Evan Ellman, Marketing Director
ELLMAN Estate Winery
954.465.6436
evan@ellmanwine.com
ellmanwine.com
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SOURCE Ellman Family Vineyards
