Investor Jamie McCourt, owner of venture capital firm Jamie Enterprises and previous owner and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has purchased a 22-acre vineyard and estate in the town of Rutherford in Napa Valley, California!

The main house on the luxury Auberge property was designed by award-winning architect Scott Johnson of Johnson Fain, who was also principal designer of the nearby and highly praised Opus One winery for Robert Mondavi and the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. The property features a garden of sculpted, mature trees, and a dramatic 75-foot lap pool, which runs perpendicular to the main house. The estate’s guest house, which won an AIA award, was designed by noted architect Stanley Saitowitz.

Sotheby’s International Realty Wine Country agent, Ginger Martin, who represented McCourt in the Auberge transaction, commented on the sale: “This was all about lifestyle. Jamie wanted gorgeous views, modern architecture, and a cult vineyard. Voila!”

Martin, the go-to realtor in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys when it comes to distinctive, luxury properties, also closed the sale on the most expensive Sonoma County property on record – the $31M Sanford Weill (former Citigroup CEO) purchase of the Shanel Estate in 2010.

“I was drawn to the property by the promise of its remarkable vines, but my decision to buy was strengthened by the stunning contemporary architecture, which beautifully blends into its natural setting, and by the property’s spectacular, expansive views of the surrounding Napa countryside,” Jamie said. “The vineyard, which was carefully planted and nurtured by its previous owners, is one of the most precious and one of the best in the Napa Valley.

Robert Parker’s 93-point score for the Auberge vineyard’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and his 92+ score for the 2007 vintage made the wine world stand up and take notice of what was being grown at this elegant address in the Napa Valley. I intend to continue and expand that reputation for excellence, and I’m thrilled that David Abreu will be my vineyard manager.”

The hillside property, which overlooks the world-famous Auberge du Soleil resort, will be operated as a commercial venture. Wines from the property have appeared on the prestigious lists of many elite restaurants, the Mandarin Oriental and Ritz Carlton Hotels in San Francisco, the Four Seasons Hotel in Santa Barbara, and the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.