Not all oenophiles want to own and operate a vineyard. They might love the wine, but the physical, financial and emotional toll exacted by those grapes, well, that's another thing entirely.
So, it's a certain brand of luxury that gives wine-obsessives some of the perks of a vineyard home — the proximity to vines, a chance to taste a vintage grown in their "backyard," and climate-controlled wine storage integrated into their living spaces — without tasking them with tending grapes. And for this 5,584-square-foot Northern California home at 165 Sycamore Court in Healdsburg, California, that luxury comes with five bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, and a price tag of $9.85 million. Seth Cotter of Ohana Realty has the listing.
The residence, which sits near the development’s on-site vineyard, offers a taste of the product without the labor, explained Neil Johnson, managing director of development at brokerage Ohana Realty. And he means "taste" literally: Homeowners in the community have access to an on-site residential club and amenities, and they can purchase the wine at the club.
The mansion sits in Montage Healdsburg, a 260-acre “resort community,” according to its website. It certainly could serve as a primary residence, Johnson said, but the home will likely serve as a secondary residence, or maybe a third.
Buyers want a turnkey house, Johnson said, but they don’t want to compromise ease for something devoid of personality and of lower quality. The home comes with furniture package options, so buyers still have “the ability to make it their own.”
It's important, he noted, that it’s a residence still anchored to its community — unlike some of the region’s rambling mansions tucked into acres of grape vines — with plenty of space between it and its closest neighbor. A Sycamore Court buyer wants “to see what’s going on at the farmer’s market,” he said. “The reason we really like Healdsburg is it doesn’t feel like it’s manufactured.”
A design planned for wildfire protection, around heritage oaks
Healdsburg itself faces a fear confronting much of Northern California’s wine country: wildfires.
Blazes — including the Tubbs, Kincade, and Point fires — burned thousands of acres in the city. In Healdsburg, according to climate risk data provider First Street, nearly 5,000 residential structures — 99% — face some wildfire risk over the next three decades. But life (and luxury development) continues in the roughly 11,000-person town.
Wildfire resilience played a really big role in the design of 165 Sycamore, Johnson said. Municipal fire safety standards dictated many requirements, he said, such as the combustion-resistant materials chosen (concrete and metal roofing) and where the structure sits in relation to the existing vegetation.
The home boasts a striking design courtesy of Golden State-based BAR Architects and Interiors. Planned around the lot’s heritage oak trees, the two-story residence has a "walk-down configuration" that follows the hillside, BAR wrote in a project description. The wood-clad home also boasts floor-to-ceiling windows that bring in natural light and connect it to nature.
For a buyer deeply invested in an outdoor lifestyle, the home also has a pool and an outdoor shower.
An outdoor shower is “one of those things that everybody really asks for,” Johnson noted, but it may be one of those features buyers look for more than they use.
While the home’s proximity to neighbors may appeal to some, Johnson noted, it might not be what all buyers operating at this price point are looking for. “If you just want to have a ton of acreage … it’s probably not a fit,” he said.
But with more land, you may have to pick your own grapes.