A 40-acre agriculture parcel on the North Fork, farmed by Steve Mudd, one of the pioneers of North Fork’s viticulture, has come to the public market for the first time.
Known as “Mudd West,” the property at 6094 Sound Avenue in Jamesport includes 16.3 acres of fully irrigated vinifera grape vines with highly sought-out varietals like Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris, Tocai, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. Melissa Principi of Douglas Elliman, who, with Thomas Uhlinger, has the exclusive, calls it an “extremely rare offering,” noting the 40.2 acres offers both main road frontage, high-quality vines and meticulous care.
“It is the perfect way for a budding vineyard entrepreneur to start small or for a seasoned vineyard professional to secure a reliable local fruit source,” she says.
The asking price is $2,695,000.
The now 15-year-old vines are also in their prime and have become a reliable source for top-winemaking producers.
Mudd, who also runs a management and consultant company, sells the fruit to Channing Daughters in Bridgehampton, Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, Roanoke Vineyards in Riverhead and other private clients. He has owned the property since 2004.
The 40-acre parcel was created by the New York State Parks and Recreation Association a year earlier by carving out farmland lots from the once large “Keyspan” property, now home to Hallockville Museum Farm and Hallockville State Park Preserve. The state sold the parcels by lottery to local farmers who could show their income was 100% from agricultural operations, Principi explains.
“Mr. Mudd’s name was drawn from the actual basket of lottery applicants and he selected this farm because of its large size and its nearly 500 feet of main road frontage,” she says.
It is referred to as “Mudd West,” as he has another farm vineyard in Southold, near his home, which is not currently for sale.
Though the vines are only 15 years old, the farm has a long agricultural history.
“Prior to being purchased by Keyspan Energy Company in the 1970s, this stretch of farmland was owned by nine different family farms and was even home to a popular summer camp in the 1920s,” Principi says.
Mudd planted the vines a few years after his purchase. “The consistent quality of the fruit has been fantastic and winemakers in the area pay a premium for these high-quality grapes and unique varietals. The same local wineries have purchased the fruit grown on Mudd West farm year after year. Before he planted the fruit here at Mudd West he planted his Southold farm and has worked with many of the local vineyards as a vineyard manager since the North Fork Wine country began,” Principi says. Also, he has sat on many of the agricultural and farm boards in Southold Town, Suffolk County and New York State over the years.
Although there are no structures on the property and a conservation easement with New York State exists, a tasting room, winemaking facility and/or barns for agricultural use are possible with proper approvals.
“The property is still considered ‘R80 zoning’ with Riverhead Town,” Principi says, adding that “any plans for building your dream tasting room will still require town approval.” She explains that the conservation easement is different in that it was created as farmland by the state from the beginning. “Rights were never sold from a prior development piece or sold by another owner, the property was protected and sold by the state for agricultural use only,” she says.
The property does boast deer fencing, state-of-the-art irrigation and a new generator.
The main building for the Hallockville State Park Preserve, a 225-acre shorefront reserve that includes one mile of beachfront along the Long Island Sound, can be found at the corner of the vineyard property.
Market for Vineyards
Principi, who has become known as a vineyard market expert, has worked closely with many vineyards over the past decade of her real estate career, including local ones like Wölffer, Roanoke and Del Vino Vineyards in Northport, as well as California-based entities such as JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles and Landmark Vineyards in Kenwood.
“Farmland is trading for some of the highest numbers we have ever seen on the North Fork,” Principi says. “Top farmland can fetch anywhere from $40,000-$60,000 per acre without any plantings or structures on it. Smaller farms like 20-40 acre parcels tend to be the most desirable for farmers, investors or businesses. Many investors look to invest into farmland to diversify their portfolios away from the recent uneasy nature of the stock market, and the North Fork has seen a huge influx of land investors after the pandemic brought so many new people out here.”
Several wineries and vineyards have sold in recent years. The most recent, and perhaps most comparable sale Mudd West, was McCullough Vineyard, 19.45 acres of land in Riverhead’s Northville section, near Aquebogue. The deal closed on Jan. 2 for $1.125 million. The property at 480 Tuthill’s Lane, included a Morton building and farm equipment, and had been asking $1.3 million. Susan Berkoski of William Raveis, formerly Town & Country Real Estate, had the listing.
Part of Osprey’s Dominion in Peconic sold in 2023, though the tasting room on Route 25 is still available. In June 2022, a portion of Castello di Borghese in Cutchogue, Long Island’s first and oldest vineyard, was sold in a deal that allows for business as usual.
In 2021, Dan Abrams, the chief legal correspondent at ABC News, bought Laurel Lake Vineyards, renaming it Ev&Em, after his two children.
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