Wildflower Head Faces New Record With Sonoma Estate Listing

Buyers at the top end of the Northern California housing market have been having a field day this spring, including in the fields of Wine Country.

Ghost Donkey Ranch, a 227-acre estate nestled between Calistoga and Healdsburg in Knights Valley, is coming to market for $35 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

At that price, it’s one of the most expensive properties for sale in Sonoma County, according to listing agent Kristie Eddy of Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty. The priciest home sale ever recorded in Sonoma County was $30 million in 2010, Eddy said. Ghost Donkey Ranch could blow that record out of the water if it sells at or near its asking price.

Ghost Donkey Ranch once operated strictly as a cattle ranch and still remains a working cattle and agricultural ranch today. The seller is Adam Gordon, managing partner of New York development firm Wildflower, who purchased the land in 2011 with his then-wife Kristina O’Neal, founder of design firm AvroKo. The couple went on to restore the overgrazed and undeveloped land and erect a roughly 4,200-square-foot house with a stone facade and standing-seam metal roofing.

Gordon and O’Neal divorced last year, leaving Gordon as the property’s only owner. Gordon lived at the Sonoma County property part time as he split his time between California and New York.

Ghost Donkey Ranch is used as the home base for Gordon’s company, Knights Valley Wagyu, which provides sustainable top-tier beef to local chefs. The cattle themselves roam naturally around the property, while the land is free of any pesticides, fertilizers or chemical agents, according to the Ghost Donkey Ranch website. Gordon plans to continue operating Knights Valley Wagyu somewhere else in Sonoma County once the sale is complete.

The main house includes three bedrooms and 3 bathrooms across 4,200 square feet. In addition to the main residence, there are two small guest houses on site, each boasting one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchenette. The property is fit for a car collector as it comes complete with a four-car garage at the house as well as a 10-car show garage for display.

— Chris Malone Méndez