In Virginia’s wine country, an 1850-acre sprawling haven has something nothing nearby offers: complete freedom. Once owned by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, the $35 million estate in Scottsville, VA has a turnkey winery, a private retreat and 2.5 miles of Hardware River frontage all in a single canvas. Most importantly, the property carries no conservation easement and thus the buyer can experiment with its purpose.“Usually, you kind of have to choose between one or the other when you bring a hospitality component to a farm like this, but a new owner has full flexibility, which is pretty special,” said Alex Webel with Hall and Hall, who is co-listing the property along with Daniel Heider with TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, according to a report by realtor.com.
A buyer’s dream
“If somebody wants to come in and use it similar to how the current owner has used it, for a private family retreat, you can do that. Both can exist at the same time because of the way that the property has been laid out and improved.” Webel added that having no conservation easement, “which is becoming increasingly rare in Virginia and also many parts of the mid-Atlantic,” gives the new owner complete flexibility.Several buildings are part of this listing, including an historic brick manor house dating back to 1810, but renovated in 2024.”It’s got just a lot of really interesting architectural features that if you’re a historic architecture buff, I think will be really appealing to anyone,” said Webel.The home has 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and the larger property has a 2-bedroom guest cottage along with other structures to take care of the farm. The property also boasts a 12,000-square-foot event space, making it ideal for events. From the property, there are views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, and the Hardware River, which runs for about 2.5 miles through the farm. There is also a 22-acre private lake, big enough for boating, as well as a swimming pool and tennis court.“[The manor house is] in a pretty remarkable spot. I think any future owner would want to keep that, just as a tie to history,” Webel said. “And then there’s some pretty stunning home sites if somebody wanted to create something of their own.”
A history of luxury
In the 1990s, Bernard Arnault, one of the world’s richest men and chairman and CEO of luxury goods company LVMH owned the property and some luxurious qualities are still present on the property. “I would say it is a very tasteful, quiet, country luxury and it’s just the right balance and I think that’s really hard to achieve,” Webel said, adding that the historical elements co-exist with the modern amenities.“It’s luxury, but not something that would overwhelm you or have you forget where you are and I think that’s really important with these properties. The ones that are really special have that intangible piece where you’re very rooted to that sense of place.”The property’s winery, tasting room, and restaurant are on the Monticello Wine Trail, with dozens of other wineries all within a short drive from Charlottesville, but Webel said whoever buys the land does not need to continue making wine and could even subdivide the property.“As long as it complies with county zoning, you’re free to do what you like and I think that freedom and flexibility is a big deal moving forward,” he says. “While I think any future owner is going to be drawn to the land itself, just knowing that you have options, I think makes it that much more appealing.”“That’s the benefit of somebody purchasing something like this. You’re stepping into something that exists as opposed to building it from the ground up,” Webel highlighted. “The way it’s laid out and the way that a future owner could continue to use it could be very private and separate from the public-facing components of the farm, and that’s pretty special and rare.”