Henry had sufficient success to allow him to invest in an oceangoing ship to Hawaii and Mexico to obtain fresh provisions, and with a friend named Miller founded "Miller and Ellis Grain" on Market street in San Francisco. In the 1870's Ellis took up residency on Lombard Street and became the City's Chief of Police. Later on he became U.S Consul to the Turks Island in the East Indies. In 1885 Ellis, contemplating retirement, bought a lovely oak-studded property in the agricultural district of Sunol, just east of the San Francisco Bay and its cooling breezes at the base of the 900' Pleasanton Ridge. Here, between 1885 and 1890 he built Elliston, a stately 17 room, three story, neo-Romanesque mansion featuring graceful stone arches and 32" thick walls of blue sandstone quarried in nearby Niles Canyon. Celebrities of the day visited Elliston, including Prince Kuhio and Princess Elizabeth of Hawaii during their round the world tour to visit Queen Victoria in 1898. In 1890 Ellis planted three acres of vineyard on his Estate, and it is known that wine was produced here. This acreage was included when the Sunol Viticulture District was named in the 1898 report to the State Board of Viticulture consisting of 14 vineyards totaling 148.5 acres and total cooperage of 25,000 gallons. In 1969 the Elliston Estate was purchased by Ramon and Amy Awtrey and has been carefully restored and refurbished with period pieces. Today Elliston is on the National Register of Historic places. In 1977 Sunol's grape growing tradition was revived by the planting of 55 acres of premium grape varieties on San Francisco Water Company land. In 1984 the Awtreys obtained rights to the Sunol Valley Vineyards and also replanted Elliston's own vineyard at the estate with three acres of Chardonnay. The original carriage house was converted into the winery, and Don Blackburn was hired as Elliston's first winemaker. Trained in Burgundy, Don's wines from 1985 to 1990 were classically Burgundian in style employing French Oak exclusively, barrel fermentation, "sur lie" aging, and malolactic fermentation emphasizing complexity and the unique flavors of the vineyard. Since 1992 the winery and Elliston Estates have been owned and operated by the Awtrey's daughter Donna and her three children Mark, K.J., and David.