A dusting of snow at Ahvsan Ranch

Shots of a sun-drenched pool deck are essentially a requisite box to check when developing marketing materials for a San Diego-area mansion, but how many elite local homesteads can be accurately portrayed with a dusting of snow?

Ahvsan Ranch, a 376-acre “private oasis nestled high atop Palomar Mountain where lush valleys, shimmering ponds, forested hilltops, scenic vistas and picturesque picnic sites abound,” was the retirement project of Arthur Voss, a businessman from Wisconsin who built an international imports empire and helped found what would become 21st Century Insurance.

The ranch’s “stunning main estate” provides four bedrooms, five baths, and an estimated 6100 square feet of “rustic luxury living.” High-end appointments include a glass-ceilinged breakfast nook off the “chef’s grade kitchen,” formal dining, four fireplaces, a wine cellar, vaulted exposed-beam ceilings, and multiple whirlpool tubs placed to take advantage of the home’s sweeping valley views, including in the master suite. Exterior wraparound decks provide outdoor entertaining space for denizens of the main residence’s hilltop perch “to enjoy the scene at daybreak or to toast the end of the day.”

Additional buildings on the property include a three-bedroom caretaker’s home, a “charming log cabin,” and two barns that, when coupled with “numerous outbuildings,” provide another 12,000 square feet of space under roof for stables and storage. There’s also a heli-pad for those who don’t want to be troubled by the lengthy drive up the mountain to where the property sits, just below Caltech’s historic Palomar Observatory.

When Voss was curating his ranch in the 1990s, it was home to herds of bison and cattle, along with a menagerie of exotic animals. These days, “a trail ride around the property includes sightings of quail, pheasant, [and] deer.”

The acreage includes a total of six ponds, 12 pastures “with commercial-grade irrigation system,” and six wells that deliver more than 700 gallons of “crystal clear premium water” every minute, responsible for “nurturing meadows, trees, and wildlife.

“Whether you are a rancher, farmer or entrepreneur looking for an amazing opportunity, this is a truly special property and one not to miss,” listing materials for the estate conclude.

The ranch, whose acreage is split across four separate parcels in addition to the 91-acre lot housing the main estate, has been transferred between holding companies since Voss sold it for $2.7 million in 2005, two years before his death. The most recent transfer indicates a sale price of $4 million, recorded in 2012.

Ahvsan Ranch was listed for sale on the open market for the first time in mid-July; it carries an asking price of $12,900,000 that remains unchanged to date.

33941 Canfield Road | Pala (Palomar Mountain), 92060

Beds: 4+ | Baths: 5+ | Current Owner: Hage Estates LLC | List Price: $12,900,000