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1887 Stone Winery Anchors $35M Napa Valley Estate Sale

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La Herradura Ranch, a 151-acre Napa Valley estate with a restored 1887 stone winery once eyed by Ellen DeGeneres, is listed for $35 million in St Helena.

A 151-acre estate in St Helena, California, built around a restored stone winery dating to 1887, has been listed for $35 million. The seller is artist Matt Rogers, son of the late T. Gary Rogers, who ran Dreyer's Ice Cream as chief executive and later chaired the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Erin Lail of Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley brought the property to market on Friday, September 18.

Known as La Herradura Ranch, the site no longer operates as a working farm but keeps its older features intact. It holds roughly 25 acres of vineyards, a private lake and a cluster of buildings, including a main house finished last year and the century-old stone winery that gives the estate its identity.

Gary Rogers bought the vineyard about two decades ago. He already held the ranch next door and set out to join the two parcels into a single square mile of land, his son said. After the land was split again, the elder Rogers asked Matt, who was living on the property, to ready the leftover acreage for sale.

A winery buried under a ranch house

That request led to an unexpected find. Matt uncovered a stone winery from 1887 that had sat out of sight for generations, concealed behind a 1950s ranch house and an extension that stood until around 2008. Records of the building were scarce, but the family linked it to Mountain Cove Winery, a modest operation thought to have made jug wine and delivered it to nearby churches in the region's earliest winemaking years.

"It's a beautiful, gorgeous firestone cathedral," Matt said of the structure. "When you open the big steel doors and play some music and have some friends over, it's just such a unique, special place. You can just feel the spirit of the valley."

The 4,000-square-foot addition was demolished around 2008, exposing the rough original stonework beneath. Crews then rebuilt the interior with fresh wiring, plumbing, flooring and doors, according to the listing. The reworked hall seats close to 100 guests, and the family has staged everything from charity events to comedy performances inside its walls, using it more as a gathering place than a production facility.

The visit from Ellen DeGeneres

Once the restoration wrapped, the family moved toward selling, and the estate drew interest from a well-known buyer. "Our big exciting day was when Ellen DeGeneres and Portia came up to look at it," Matt said. "They didn't like the fact that there was cattle on the property." The pair followed a vegan diet at the time and passed on the purchase.

The grounds have seen considerable work in recent years beyond the winery. The main house, completed in 2024, spans nearly 2,500 square feet with an open floor plan, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. A rustic cabin stands beside the lake, fitted with bunks, a fireplace, indoor plumbing and an outdoor shower, meant for anglers and swimmers who want to stay over.

"You could spend the night and camp out or use it as a getaway," Matt said. "It's a very rough little fishing cabin, but it makes using the lake much more accessible." The estate also carries a two-bedroom cottage north of the main residence, alongside a second, somewhat larger two-bedroom home.

Matt and his wife, Amy, overhauled the vineyard entirely. They pulled and replanted the vines in 2020 and installed a new drainage system. The rows now yield Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with a half-acre set aside for Sauvignon Blanc.

The decision to sell reflects a shift the family says no longer adds up. "Originally, it was the party house," Matt said. "This was supposed to be a buy-it-and-flip. If my dad were still alive and he was still promoting these events we used to do, that would probably keep it going, but it just doesn't make sense anymore."

T. Gary Rogers died in 2017 at the age of 74.

Keywords: La Herradura Ranch, Napa Valley vineyard, 1887 stone winery, St Helena real estate, Matt Rogers, T. Gary Rogers, Ellen DeGeneres Napa, Mountain Cove Winery

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