Stoli Group has escalated its legal battle with US actor Brad Pitt over the ownership and control of the Château Miraval wine estate, which Pitt formerly co-owned with his now-ex-wife, Angelina Jolie.
The increasingly bitter dispute between Stoli and Pitt centres around the ownership and operational rights of the Miraval estate in France’s Provence region, with the back-and-forth legal tussle running since the couple divorced in 2016.
In the latest twist, Nouvel, a subsidiary of Stoli’s wine division, Tenute del Mondo, issued a subpoena to Campari America in a Los Angeles court last month seeking information about a distribution deal for the US and French markets struck between the Campari Group unit and Miraval in September last year.
In a statement this week, Stoli claimed it had been “frozen out” of Chateau Miraval by “Pitt and his allies”. Tenute del Mondo’s purchase of Jolie’s 50% ‘Nouvel’ stake in the winery in 2021 made Stoli an equal co-owner of the winery. Stoli made its displeasure over the distribution tie-up with Campari clear in September, claiming “there was no tender” and it had had “no involvement whatsoever” in the agreement.
The litigious struggle for ownership of Miraval has been long and complex. In court, Pitt has claimed that Jolie’s holding, reportedly worth US$62m, was sold without his consent to Stoli, which is owned by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler. Nouvel has hit back, launching a $250m lawsuit in 2022 that accuses Pitt of seizing the business and squandering its profits in retaliation for Jolie breaking up their marriage.
Stoli said this week that it wishes to uncover details about the negotiations leading up to the distribution agreement, its provisions, and any potential influence by Pitt on the deal. Global Drinks Intel has reached out to Campari America for comment.
The ex-couple first purchased the estate in 2012, partnering with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel to release their first wines in 2013. Sales boomed, especially in the US, helping to premiumise the wider Provence rosé segment. When Jolie sold her stake in 2021, analysts valued the estate at $162m.
The dispute over the ownership of the estate looks set to rumble on, underlining the growing value and premiumisation of Provence rosé, one of the few still wine sectors that remains in growth.
