Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson
A native Californian, Jeffrey Patterson graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1975 with a degree in biology. While in Berkeley, he witnessed and participated in the emergence of northern California’s fine wine and food culture. An enthusiastic wine drinker and collector, Jeffrey decided to pursue a career in the wine business and, in 1979, enrolled in the U.C. Davis viticulture and enology program, where he studied for two years.
In 1981, Patterson became assistant winemaker at Mount Eden Vineyards. He had visited the Santa Cruz Mountain winery in 1978 and believed Mount Eden, with its long history of fine wine production, would be an ideal place to practice his craft.
Jeffrey and his wife Ellie, a U.C. Berkeley history graduate, ornamental horticulturist, and textile artist, thus left Berkeley to begin a new life 2,000 feet above the Santa Clara Valley. A little over a year after his arrival, Patterson was promoted to head winemaker and general manager, and Ellie became the winery’s business manager. In 1986, they became significant shareholders in the company and, in 1993, Jeffrey became the winery's president.
Today, with over 25 years’ experience at California’s original boutique winery, Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson live with one of their two children in the house Martin Ray built on Mount Eden in the early 1950s, surrounded by the winery’s historic estate vineyard and a panoramic view of the now-famous Silicon Valley. In their spare time, Jeffrey enjoys cooking for friends, while Ellie loves to garden, play tennis, and travel.
“It has been a wonderful experience to raise a family in this magical place and to be the custodians of a great tradition,” says Ellie Patterson. “The land and its history are the heroes here, so our job is simply to let them speak through our wines.”

Andrea Kyle
Originally from Illinois, Andrea Kyle is the office manager at Mount Eden Vineyards. She attended Loras Collage in Dubuque Iowa, majoring in English and Ancient philosophy. There she began her love affair with wine. After graduation Andrea moved to St. Louis, MO. After two years, she and her Fiancé had a once in a lifetime chance to move to California.
In 2000, after an exhaustive search for “just the just the right job”, she discovered an ad for the office manager position here. Since starting she has truly become an important part of Mount Eden’s business team. “I always tell people, I fell in backwards to this job,” she says. “But with that I have found, one of the best places to be. Who could ask for more, I work at the top, literally.”
Andrea and her now husband Scott live in Campbell, Ca, and were married at Mount Eden in May of 2002