Watching millionaire heiress Patricia Kluge’s empire crumble in these financially difficult times has been tough for many to observe. Others who don’t have anywhere near the money necessary to buy into the estate or any of its properties are interested to see who will step forward and possibly save the 900 acres of prime Virginia countryside.
Located in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville, with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello nearby, the Kluge Estate and Winery will be offered at absolute auction on April 7 and 8, which means there will be a new owner when it’s over. The sale will be final and the property will go to the highest bidder with no minimum bid and no bids from the owner. Part of the property didn’t move in December when it was offered for a minimum of $19 million, so the sale offers a last opportunity for interested parties to step to the plate.
Enter real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Worth billions, he has seen his share of down times during his business career but has recovered by pulling himself out of each tailspin. Reportedly a long-time friend of Kluge’s, it’s unclear whether he is stepping in to help her or if he sees a business opportunity, or perhaps both.
With the upcoming Kluge “fire sale,” Trump appears interested in acquiring some, and maybe all, of the property to add to the 217 acres adjoining the Kluge house that he purchased in February. The remaining property has been divided into six parcels, and some think Trump may want to keep it all intact:
King lists three factors that bode well for auctioning: The location, “the notoriety of the previous owner,” and a one-of-a-kind property.
Will Trump triumph?
Now that he is testing the waters for a possible presidential run in 2012, could Virginia have a candidate if he purchases the Kluge empire? It’s doubtful. As pointed out by Trump’s general counsel Jason Greenblat, he has a number of other residences so the chance of him moving to Virginia is slim. Too bad … he would make a great neighbor.
If he acquires the mansion and grounds along with the winery, the possibilities are endless with his golden touch. It’s fun to imagine Trump turning his contestants from “The Apprentice” loose on the estate to compete amongst themselves by coming up with marketing to enhance the property, designing Trump wine labels, or laying out a business plan to turn the 24,000 square foot Kluge house into a celebrity hideaway or business retreat.
A developer of world class golf courses, perhaps his “apprentice” teams could design an exclusive course for this tony area. Who better to head up that task than Bill Rancic, first winner of “The Apprentice” in 2004, who was hired by Trump to oversee the building of Chicago’s Trump Tower?
For now, everything is up in the air until an owner emerges from next week’s auction. At the end of the day, will Kluge Winery become Trump Winery? Perhaps wine connoisseurs will eventually be able to make a toast and raise a glass of “The Donald” wine.
