In a move that's stirring the pot of the Bay Area real estate market, the high-tech homestead of Jack McCauley, a luminary in the gaming and virtual reality industries, is set to cross the auction block with a strategy. McCauley, known for co-founding Oculus VR and engineering the Guitar Hero franchise, has put his sprawling 14-acre Pleasanton estate up for grabs, and in a twist, there's no reserve to stop the gavel. According to SFGate, after missing with a $10 million list price that was later slashed to $9 million, it's down to the highest bidder, regardless of price.

The property, a veritable Garden of Eden with Silicon Valley style, includes a palatial pad with seven bedrooms and six bathrooms sprawling an imposing 6,535 square feet. It's kitted out with a home theater, a game room, and a luxe 3,600-square-foot "workshop". The estate's outdoor amenities boast a tropical paradise swimming pool with personal waterfalls and a grotto designed by Mark Schatz. According to Concierge Auctions, a covered hot tub, an outdoor kitchen, and a poolside bar dominate the vineyard vistas.

Adding to the property's allure, this vinicultural villa isn't just for soaking in the Northern California sun. It's a Golden State jackpot with an established winery spitting out about 1,000 cases a year of award-winning vino, all rated 95/100 by Wine Enthusiast. McCauley himself hasn't been fermenting the grapes under his stewardship. As Concierge Auction's Isabella Bordwin put it to SFGate, “Though the estate has potential to be a winery, the current owner does not run it that way," opting to sell the grapes to other producers instead.

Bidding commences November 30 at a predicted starting range of $2.8 to $5.5 million. But, as dreams of a $1 steal are quickly corked by reality, Bordwin explained via SFGate that, "The Concierge Auctions model creates competition between buyers through an intensive marketing campaign in the month leading up to the auction date”.