Award-winning Vineyards and a Mid Century Modern Home Are Part of This Idyllic Rolling Hills Wine Property—along With Five Acres of Green Hillside and Pacific Ocean Views
Set against a canvas of endless sky, sloping green hillside, and the gem-like Pacific Ocean waters, it brings you into two unique, and desirable, worlds. The first is the sun-kissed leisure of vineyard life, where you can wander among paved paths past thousands of chardonnay and pinot noir vines yielding the fruit of award-winning wines—about 300 cases of it a year.
The property, dubbed Villa Oniero or “House of Dreams” by its current owners, is one of a handful of wineries on Palos Verdes. (With its Mediterranean Climate and unique mix of soil types, the Peninsula has just received its designation as an American Viticultural Area, or AVA, allowing local growers to distinguish their wines as Palos Verdes Peninsula-grown.) Mellow organic gardens dot the scene, as do bushy olive oil trees—producing about 600 liters of olive oil a year—and an orchard brimming with colorful figs, apricots, persimmons, and more.
“I grew up in Rolling Hills,” says real estate agent and architecture expert Gerard Bisignano of The Bisignano Group at Vista Sotheby’s International Realty.
“I know the mojo; I know the lay of the land. This is truly one of the best lots in the City of Rolling Hills—maybe in all of Palos Verdes. It’s five acres, nearly all of it usable land, and with spectacular views. You just don’t find that anywhere on the Peninsula.”
Aside from the knockout beauty of the land, there’s a second realm: a thoughtfully designed world where you can live and entertain in the midst of a charmed Mid Century Modern home—and its bevy of sculpted fresh-air spaces. Like a sprawling outdoor lounge, covered and perched over grand ocean views. Or a streamlined pool deck and spa where you can serve up delicacies from the wood-burning oven and outdoor kitchen just steps away.
There’s a stone-covered patio where you can gather around the fire pit, shaded by a vine-covered wood pergola. And a private deck with lush green landscaping, adjoining the master bedroom, where you can ponder the twinkling lights of Downtown LA before heading off to bed.
“Ernest Hahn was an important developer and quite an architect,” says Gerard Bisignano of the home’s creator.
When it came time to build his personal abode, the retail property magnate chose the choicest lot and designed a custom Mid Century residence (completed in 1970) that would make the most of the hilltop’s spellbinding natural beauty. In the hands of its current owners, the land and the home—approximately 6,200 square feet, with 6 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms—were faithfully re-shaped and polished over a period of 20 years.
“It’s rare on Palos Verdes to find an authentic Mid Century Modern home,” notes Gerard Bisignano, adding that most homes in the area are ranch style or, more recently, Mediterranean.
The owners’ careful attention and upgrades have yielded a welcoming home, where sunlight and ocean views stream across glowing walnut floors, and earthy Palos Verdes stone mingles with tongue-and-groove planks and ceiling beams. The master suite occupies a wing of its own, with dual walk-in closets and dual bathrooms. And the kitchen is a welcome gathering space with industrial appliances—notable is the peekaboo, glass-front refrigerator, and a full-scale copper range hood that gleams against the turquoise tile backsplash.
“You feel like you’re in Tuscany,” says Gerard Bisignano of the sun-drenched alfresco lifestyle at this vineyard property.
Peace and nature reign here, and the owners have created a place that can be enjoyed alone—and shared freely with others. You can wander through the gardens and vineyards solo, stopping at poetic resting nooks along the way. Or invite a couple hundred of your favorite folks over for a white-tent fête where you can delight in the nature, food, and wine that flows so freely here. The homeowner describes smaller gatherings, too: guests hand-pick fruits and vegetables from the garden, select a favorite Villa Oniero vintage from the tasting room—its own separate structure with stone floors—and cook and feast together.
“This property offers complete sustainability because it grows an amazing amount of not just grapes, but fruits, vegetables, and herbs,” Gerard Bisignano points out.
More than just two worlds—vineyard and Mid Century Modern lifestyle space—this property offers a versatile canvas where you can imprint your personal world.
“It offers so much, and gives the next owner the opportunity to take it to the next level,” says Gerard Bisignano.
“You can expand the home to make it a Mid Century Modern estate, or change up the land.”
Whatever its form, the five acres always remain animated by a vivid viewscape—the coast, stretching north to Point Dume in Malibu; the glitter of the Queen’s Necklace; and the city lights and silhouette of Downtown LA.
“When you see this amazing vineyard sitting high above Portuguese Bend, it’s magical,” Gerard Bisignano describes. “To be able to work with the owners to pass it to its next owners has been very special.”
Gerard Bisignano | 310.990.4727 | DRE# 01116110
The Bisignano Group | Vista Sotheby’s International Realty
Gary Gold |310.741.0505 | DRE# 00813554
of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills
List Price $16,500,000
Photographs Courtesy of The Bisignano Group
