Spotlighting Vintage Appeal

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When you build a mountaintop Tuscan-style mansion in Malibu with its own vineyard and put it on the market for $65 million, what do you do if you can’t find a buyer?

First, you cut the price – and if that doesn’t work, give Hollywood a call.

On Tuesday, location companies are being invited to an open house at Rocky Oaks Estate Vineyard to explore the 37-acre property as a venue for film and photo shoots. The idea is to raise the profile of the already prominent estate.

“We would like to showcase it until it’s sold,” said Audrey Ruth, owner of Malibu Destinations, a location management services company that organized the event.

The Kanan Dume Road property features a 9,000-square-foot stone house, 125 fruit and nut trees, panoramic ocean views, and is already being rented out for weddings and parties. The vineyard, with 10,000 vines, was planted in 2003 and produces Cabernet Sauvignon under the Malibu Rocky Oaks Estate label, which has won awards.

Howard Leight, who owns a Malibu Colony home and built a hearing protection company now owned by Honeywell International, bought the property in 2006. There was no home on the property, so he built one with a sale in mind.

“It’s large, but it’s cozy, built for family or entertainment,” said son Howard Leight Jr., who runs the vineyard and is temporarily living there as a caretaker. “Once we found out we have a profitable wine business involved, it’s become more special, and that’s why it’s priced where it’s at.”

Another big appeal of the property is that it’s on a ridgeline, which is very hard to get approval for. Even so, the asking price has been cut to $49 million.

Gail Copley, a Malibu real estate agent who is not carrying the listing, said no doubt the property is unique.

“It’s the only one of its kind,” she said. “You can see all of the valley and all of Malibu – and they have pretty good wine.”

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