George and Amal Clooney have put the Provence wine country commune of Brignoles on the world media map by acquiring the nearby Canadel estate.
Despite reports of a delay to the deal earlier this year, the couple were pictured arriving at the estate and in Brignoles at the end of last week.
Local mayor Didier Brémond posted a photo of himself between the Hollywood actor and Amal Clooney, a Lebanese-British lawyer specialising in international criminal law and human rights.
‘Welcome to Brignoles.’ he wrote on 23 July. ‘It’s now official. George and Amal Clooney are residents of our beautiful commune.’
Bienvenue à #Brignoles !
C’est désormais officiel, George et Amal #Clooney sont résidents de notre belle commune. J’ai eu le plaisir de les rencontrer, sur leur invitation, au Domaine du Canadel, où ils poseront prochainement leurs valises. pic.twitter.com/fukhxepKjt
— Didier Bremond (@DidierBremond) July 23, 2021
Brémond added, ‘I had the pleasure of meeting them, at their invitation, at Domaine du Canadel.’
According to Le Parisien newspaper, the purchase price was around €7m.
Lying in the Var area, the sprawling Canadel estate covers 172 hectares. Alongside the main residence, it’s believed to include vineyards, a pool and olive groves.
It’s also around a half-hour drive from Château Miraval, the Provence estate co-owned by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and the Perrin winemaking family of Château de Beaucastel fame.
There has been no suggestion of the Clooneys seeking to commence a wine project at Canadel.
Yet their arrival emphasises how desirable this rosé wine heartland has become for wealthy property buyers.
Vineyard estates in Provence have been in hot demand in the past few years.
Buyers range from those seeking purely ‘lifestyle’ properties, where the vineyard operation doesn’t necessarily need to make a profit, to investors with more serious wine projects in mind.
In an example of the latter, Château Cos d’Estournel owner Michel Reybier bought Château La Mascaronne in the Var area last year for an undisclosed fee.
