NorCal ranch for lovers of horses, wine and fun is beautiful ‘like a fairytale’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- 58-acre Gilroy ranch listed at $10.5M as turnkey equestrian and vineyard estate.
- Includes main house, guest house, barns, arenas, two ponds, two wells, Starlink.
- 14-acre organic vineyard, 1800s event barn, parking for 600+, existing livestock included.
Bill and Barbie Liebeck bought their 58-acre Northern California ranch in the rolling hills east of Gilroy, just south of Silicon Valley, in 2006 after recognizing the property as an ideal canvas to express their love of animals and wine.
Over the next decade, the couple poured their energy into planting vineyards, landscaping, carving trails and expanding the ranch’s capacity for horses and other animals. After Bill died in 2017, Barbie began opening the property to others, building a carefully curated wedding and events business on a portion of the acreage.
Now, she is ready to see a new owner take over the ranch, and hopefully it will keep its whimsical name: Shangri-La-Dee-Da. The property at 3970 Leavesley Road is for sale for $10.5 million. The offering is rare for the area in scope and resourcefulness, according to a Christie’s International Real Estate representative.
An Altos Research’s market report shows a median list price of $1.2 million for a Gilroy home, although the ranch, at about $181,000 per acre, is more of a large rural estate or agricultural holding than a typical residence. The Liebecks purchased the property 20 years ago for $3.3 million, according to public property records.
Shangri-La-Dee-Da is being marketed by Christine and Steve Perry of Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno in Los Gatos as a turnkey equestrian estate, working vineyard, family compound and events venue — all within a few minutes of Highway 101 and roughly equidistant between the tech hubs of the valley and the coastal allure of Carmel.
“Once you arrive at this property, you feel like you’re in another world,” Christine said in an email. “It’s so beautiful, just like a fairytale.”
The official property listing describes Shangri-La-Dee-Da as “a private estate surrounded by open land, rolling hills, and private ponds.”
“Properties of this scale and versatility are typically found in places like Woodside, yet even there, it’s rare to see land this expansive and usable,” Christine said. “Whether envisioned as an equestrian estate, a private family compound, or an extraordinary retreat for entertaining, this ranch offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
“Shangri-La Dee-Da Ranch is one of Silicon Valley’s best-kept secrets — a rare 58-acre retreat offering privacy, beauty, and possibilities you simply can’t replicate anywhere else,” she added.
Two year-round ponds and two existing wells underpin the ranch’s water security, while solar-powered vineyard irrigation and organic, non-pesticide grounds — maintained that way for more than 15 years, according to Christie’s — speak to a long-term stewardship of the land. Internet is handled by two Starlink towers, a nod to modern connectivity in a pastoral setting.
The residential component is substantial. The main house is about 4,222 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus an additional 1,180-square-foot finished basement. A separate guest house adds 2,300 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, allowing space for extended family, caretakers, visiting trainers or event-related stays.
The estate has reportedly been successful as an Airbnb, as well as hosting weddings, private events, retreats and wine-focused gatherings.
For the equestrian buyer
Equestrian buyers will find infrastructure that goes well beyond a hobby setup. The ranch includes two working barns, 10 stalls, extensive paddocks with run-ins and irrigated turnouts. Two engineered arenas—one a large covered steel structure measuring roughly 86 by 200 feet—are designed for year-round riding, clinics and spectator-friendly events, with drainage and footing engineered for different soil qualities. There is also a 70-foot round pen with safety walls, an 85-foot Euro-walker and a rare commodity for horse properties: abundant trailer parking.
Dressage has traditionally been the main discipline at the ranch, but jumping and Western riding have also made use of the arenas.
Over time, Barbie Liebeck turned the ranch into a classical dressage academy, drawing students from across Europe who lived on site and helped her grow the herd and refine the training program.
After a serious riding accident sidelined her, she invited strong riders to work with her horses and deepen their skills on the trails, gallop track and in the arenas.
“One of the most significant decades of the ranch was the classical dressage riding academy that started in 2010,” she said in an email.
Students rotated through multiple horses a day and experienced everything from jumping and Western to liberty work and swimming in the lakes, producing confident, adaptable mounts and a tight‑knit community. Liebeck brought in trainers from around the world for clinics and opened the facility to outside riders as the ranch’s reputation grew, she said.
“It was really a wonderful platform for training … The property soon became known as Shangri-La Farm due to its incredible energy,” Liebeck said.
Beyond horses, the ranch became a haven for dogs, with Liebeck and her team running a private rescue that ultimately placed nearly 600 animals in new homes, she said. At times as many as 20 dogs lived there at once, socializing in a pack and riding around in golf carts between the barns and fields.
“The property offered a safe and peaceful sanctuary for the dogs to transform into amazing pets,” she said.
The land itself has been shaped for both recreation and ranching. About 30 acres are laced with roughly 20-foot-wide trails used for riding, hiking and mountain biking. These paths are maintained in part by the ranch’s 11 resident cattle, which help keep the grass cropped along the way. The property is fully fenced. The existing horses, cattle, ponies and a donkey are available with the sale, according to Christies.
Viticulture is another major component of Shangri-La-Dee-Da. The vineyard covers about 14 acres planted with three varietals, irrigated via solar power from one of the ponds. The land is farmed organically without pesticides, with a focus on regenerative practices and the potential to expand organic produce production. Around the homes and gathering spaces, about 35 fruit trees produce an assortment of plums, apples, pears, nectarines, apricots, tangerines and oranges.
Non-spray zone for wildlife
The ranch sits in a non-spray zone for the surrounding agricultural valley, which, combined with its organic management, has helped attract a notable array of wildlife—deer, waterfowl on the ponds and an impressive mix of bird species, including eagles, hawks and rarer visitors, according to the property description.
Events and entertaining are centered in part around a character-rich 1800s barn structure known as the Winery. With its old-world exterior, brick floors, chandeliers and living-room-style interior, the building serves as a favored venue space for celebrations. The vineyard portion of the property has a separate service entrance and room to park more than 600 cars for events, keeping the main residential core insulated from traffic and activity.
Beyond its present uses, the ranch is layered with local history. Marketing from Christie’s notes that Shangri-La-Dee-Da is believed to be part of one of Gilroy’s oldest properties, historically known as the Peabody Estate. Once a vast homestead encompassing thousands of acres, the land was long regarded as a hunting destination before evolving into today’s multiuse ranch.
“Given the property’s size and various areas, the uses for a variety of experiences are endless,” Liebeck said. “It’s a unique and very rare property and will remain in our hearts and memories forever.”
