By Mark David | Variety
After first being offered as an off-market whisper listing, the achingly scenic, northern California wine country estate of late and vaunted television producer Steven Bochco has been listed on the open market by his wife, Dayna Bochco, at $8.5 million. Bochco passed away in April 2018 after a years long battle with leukemia. The influential, four-time Peabody Award recipient and ten-time Emmy winning creator of seminal and ground-breaking primetime dramas such as "L.A. Law," "NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues," purchased the almost criminally beautiful spread in 2008 for an unrecorded amount.
Nipped away on nearly 50, semi-remote and thickly wooded acres about 3.5 miles outside of Oakville, Calif., the secluded hilltop property is anchored by a stately, slate-roofed European manor house with three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in about 4,600 square feet. An approximately 1,000-square-foot guesthouse adds another two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Designed by architects Jack Arnold and John Kasten, built in 2002 and, per marketing materials, done up for the Bochcos in a casually sophisticated fashion by acclaimed interior designer Charles Allem, the main residence centers around a comfortably capacious living room with bone-colored French limestone floor tiles, a cathedral ceiling lined with slender wood beams and a two simple but imposing stone fireplaces, one at each end of the light-filled room. With panoramic mountain and vineyard views over the swimming pool, the dining room spills out to the backyard through floor-to-ceiling French doors, and the kitchen offers chef-quality appliances, a walk-in pantry with custom shelving and an informal dining area set against a curved wall of windows. A separate library/den features custom wood shelving and French doors that provide easy access to the swimming pool. There are two ample, en suite guest bedrooms on the second floor, while the airy, main floor master suite comprises a sitting area with fireplace, a custom-fitted walk-in closet and spacious bathroom with jetted tub and steam shower. Arched French doors open the bedroom to verdant, fastidiously groomed gardens.
Located across the motor court on a direct axis with the main residence's front door, the charming and elegantly appointed two-bedroom guesthouse incorporates high-ceilinged sitting area with wet bar, and the pristine grounds offer formal parterre gardens with sculpted hedging, vast terraces that include a trellis-shaded dining pavilion with built-in grilling area, and a lap-length swimming pool with an electric cover.
Some of the estate's myriad other notable creature comforts include a built-in audio system in the kitchen and living areas, a comprehensive security system, a private water well, an integrated water softening system and an array of solar panels.
The listing is jointly held with Hillary Ryan at Compass and Ginger Martin at Sotheby's Int'l Realty.