Auction Offers Opportunity for Private Land Holding Amidst National Monument Lands
A 570-acre ranch in southern Utah that shares its borders with National Monument lands has been scheduled for sale via luxury auction® with Platinum Luxury Auctions. Although once asking nearly $14 million, the property will now be sold subject to a reserve price of only $4 million. The ranch owner retained the Miami-based auction house to conduct the non-distressed auction sale, which is scheduled for May 26th, 2018. Platinum is managing the auction process in cooperation with listing brokerage Summit Sotheby’s International Realty, represented by listing agent Kathy Mears.
The property, known as the Wine Bar Ranch, is owned by Shane Robison and his family. Robison is a venture capitalist and retired tech executive who has held various posts at some of the world’s most prominent technology companies, such as Apple, AT&T Labs and Hewlett Packard. He and his family developed the ranch over time by acquiring and improving a collection of farmland parcels in Boulder, Utah. The small and charming town is located about 250 miles south of the center of Salt Lake City.
While the ranch is currently home to a modest quarter horse and grass-fed Angus cattle operation, its truly distinguishing feature is the location, according to Trayor Lesnock, Platinum’s president and founder. “At the scenic lookout points along State Route 12, you can actually view the Wine Bar Ranch sitting amidst the protected National Monument lands, which contain 250 million years of geological history,” Lesnock stated. “While many sellers wish to think of their property as ‘truly unique,’ the ranch quite literally fits that description. It’s impossible to reproduce this asset.”
To be sure, the ranch abuts the Escalante Canyons (formerly part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument), which are part of more than 1 million acres of awe-inspiring, natural lands. The beauty of the area is famous, and when traveling through the Monument it’s not uncommon to see professional photographers capturing the multicolored landscapes. Even painters will set up their easels amongst the rocks, and spend the day quietly transplanting the surrounding scenery onto their canvas.
Amenities of the ranch are extensive, and include a spectacular, 70,000-sf indoor arena. “It’s likely one of the largest such facilities in the entire state,” noted Lesnock. The arena is complete with heating and lighting systems, allowing for year-round use. It also houses stalls for horses and cattle, a tack room, entertainment lounge, guest apartment, fitness center and bathrooms.
There is also an outdoor arena with stadium lighting, horse and cattle barns, multiple paddocks, three large hangars for hay storage, and various storage facilities for equipment of all sizes. Much of the work performed on the ranch can be accomplished without leaving the property, thanks to a sprawling workshop with office and bathroom, commercial-grade woodworking center, fuel storage facility, pump house and even a cement production plant.
Perhaps most importantly, the ranch enjoys an ample water supply. Water shares include five well permits from the state of Utah, four culinary water shares from Boulder Farmstead Water Company and irrigation shares from Boulder Irrigation and Water Development Company. These water shares ensure the smooth operation of the 260 acres of the ranch that are in production.
The ranch also enjoys grazing permits for its livestock, which include 180 Animal Unit Months (AUMs) in the Dixie National Forest and an additional permit from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for 20 cattle. These permits allow for the ranch’s cattle to graze off-site each year, conserving resources on the property.
Living accommodations at the Wine Bar Ranch are also ample, highlighted by the main residence of approx. 6,000 square feet. The tri-level ranch house includes 6 beds, 4 full and 2 half baths, in addition to a study, wine room and entertainment lounge. There are six additional living quarters located throughout the ranch for guests and staff, including a ranch manager’s home and a guesthouse that is adjacent to the main residence. Large concrete decks with power hookups can also accommodate several large recreational vehicles.
Previews of the ranch are being held daily and by appointment, until May 25th. The actual auction of the property will be held in Salt Lake City, for the convenience of the participating bidders. For information on property tours, bidder registration or other auction procedures, interested parties may visit UtahLuxuryAuction.com, or call Platinum’s project manager at 800.296.2605.
