A 25,700-square-foot French Chateau-inspired estate, referred to as a “modern-day castle,” set New Jersey real estate records when it sold Sept. 9 for $17.7 million in one of the state’s most exclusive neighborhoods.
Known as Chateau de la Roche, the property at 48 Rio Vista Drive in Alpine is the highest-priced residential sale ever in the borough’s prestigious Rio Vista enclave; the priciest home sale in Alpine since January 2022; and Bergen County’s most expensive sale in nearly four years.
And while it’s not the state’s highest-priced sale overall in 2025 — that title is held by the $25 million home at 17 Washington Ave. in Spring Lake — it is the priciest residential sale recorded in the NJMLS within the last three years. The Spring Lake home was listed on the Monmouth Ocean Regional MLS rather than the state one.
The home at 48 Rio Vista Drive in Alpine, known as Chateau de la Roche, broke records when it sold for $17.7 million on Sept. 9. It’s the priciest residential sale in Alpine since 2022 and the priciest sale in Bergen County in nearly four years.
“I knew we would have to find the right buyer, but I knew that it was worth every penny,” said listing agent Denise Albanese of Christie’s International Real Estate Group, who also oversaw the home’s custom design when it was built in 2017. “It didn’t surprise me that it sold for so much because the details, the amenities and just the overall uniqueness of the home set it apart from a lot of other luxury homes on the market.”
This opulent seven-bedroom, 10-and-a-half-bathroom estate is situated on a gated 2-acre lot with manicured gardens, an in-ground heated pool, a cabana and several luxe seating areas. Inside, amenities include a 15-seat theater, a billiard room, a 2,000-bottle wine cellar, two bars, a gym with two plunge pools, a conservatory and more. There’s also staff quarters, as well as an elevator with access to all of the home’s floors.
The buyer of this one-of-a-kind home was represented collaboratively by Taylor Lucyk of Christie’s International Real Estate Group, and Richard Orlando and Jason Pierce of Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty.
The home at 48 Rio Vista Drive in Alpine, known as Chateau de la Roche, broke records when it sold for $17.7 million on Sept. 9. It’s the priciest residential sale in Alpine since 2022 and the priciest sale in Bergen County in nearly four years.
This elaborate property was just one of several record-breaking home sales to hit Bergen County over the last several weeks. This includes the modern farmhouse-style home at 63 Ridge Road in Tenafly that became the borough’s highest single-family home sale to date when it sold for $7.36 million, a record that was set by 80 Woodland St. in Tenafly for $7 million just three weeks earlier.
“I think it’s because of the location. You have a lot of people coming out of the city to these suburbs. If you look at Tenafly, Alpine and Englewood Cliffs, for example. it’s a very short commute into Manhattan,” Albanese said. “So I believe that some of the people that are coming out of these penthouses in the city are moving into these beautiful single-family luxury homes right over the bridge.”
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Alpine NJ real estate: French estate sells for $17.7M