Brad Pitt has filed a lawsuit against Angelina Jolie at a Los Angeles court regarding her sale of a stake in Provence winery Château Miraval last year, according to media reports, including in Bloomberg (via Associated Press) and the Los Angeles Times.
There had been speculation for several years about how Pitt and Jolie’s divorce proceedings would affect their joint ownership of Miraval, which they purchased in 2011.
It was the Hollywood couple’s wedding venue but the estate has also gained a reputation for producing excellent rosé wines under the expert guidance of the Perrin winemaking family in the last decade.
In October 2021, Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, said it had acquired a 50% stake in Miraval from Angelina Jolie for an undisclosed fee.
‘We are thrilled to have a position alongside Brad Pitt as curators of their extraordinary vintages,’ said Stoli Group’s CEO, Damian McKinney, at the time.
When contacted by Decanter this week, Tenute del Mondo said: ‘Tenute del Mondo chose to invest in Miraval as it is an exceptional wine and brand that complements our portfolio. We entered this partnership wanting to bring the talent, skills and distribution channels that will only further enhance the Miraval offering and make Miraval the most successful brand of rosé wine & Champagne.’
A spokesperson for Miraval winery told Decanter today (22 February) there was no comment on the latest media reports. ‘In terms of the winery itself, it is business as usual and we are now ready to release the delicious 2021 vintage of Miraval rosé.’
Muse de Miraval 2021, the latest vintage of the estate’s top cuvée, is expected to be released in April.
Brad Pitt and the Perrin family have also launched two editions of ‘Fleur de Miraval’ rosé Champagne in partnership with celebrated grower Champagne house Pierre Péters.
Key moments for Miraval
Miraval has emerged onto the world wine scene in the past decade.
Pitt and Jolie bought the Miraval estate in the village of Correns in 2011, with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel fame subsequently coming onboard to help produce wine at the property.
It’s nearly nine years since the first few thousand bottles of Miraval 2012 rosé sold out within hours of release. Critical praise followed, making Miraval a success story among celebrity-linked wines, even if it also became part of a wider debate in Provence around the creation of so-called ‘Super Rosé’ wines – as Jane Anson noted following a visit in 2016.
News of Pitt and Jolie’s divorce proceedings in 2016 also prompted speculation about the estate’s ownership, but the winery always maintained that it was carrying on as normal. The 2016-vintage label stated that the wine had been ‘bottled by Jolie-Pitt and Perrin’.
Subsequent years have seen the launch of new wines, including ‘Studio by Miraval‘ and the high-end, small-production label ‘Muse de Miraval’.
Miraval’s co-owners also announced the launch of a Champagne with vaunted producer Pierre Péters. Fleur de Miraval rosé Champagne was duly released in November that year.
A second edition of the Champagne was released in 2021, and the ‘Fleur de Miraval ER2‘ was recently tasted for Decanter by Elizabeth Gabay MW.
This year, Miraval is also reopening a recording studio at the estate. Once used by Pink Floyd, AC/DC and Sting, among other artists, a new-look Miraval Studios has been revamped by Pitt and Emmy Award-winning French producer Damien Quintard.
