Miraval-Gate Update: Angelina Jolie’s Lawyers Claims Brad Pitt is Not a Winemaker, But an Actor Who ‘Deals in Illusions, Not Dirt and Grapes’

The Miraval Estate is at the center of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s already contentious divorce. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)

In the latest development regarding the already bitter battle over Chateau Miraval, court papers from Angelina Jolie’s lawyers have taken a shot at her ex-husband and fellow actor, Brad Pitt, describing him as not a winemaker but an actor pretending to be one. Lawyers from Jolie’s investment company, Nouvel, claim Pitt’s actions to keep control over Château Miraval have grown “increasingly outrageous,” according to The Drinks Business.

Attorneys from Nouvel claim Pitt over-inflates his value at the Provençal winery known for its expressions of dry rosé.

“While he no doubt visited the vineyards to admire the work of the French laborers who actually made the business successful, Pitt is no vigneron,” the attorneys said in court documents, using the word “vigneron” as a French reference to a winemaker.

Château Miraval held a net worth of $160 million as of September, according to Market Realist. The palatial estate has 35 rooms and is complete with a chapel, moat, gardens and oak forests. Approximately 100 hectares of organically-farmed vines are planted on the property, and they consist of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah, according to Provence Wine Zine.

The couple’s divorce made headlines in 2016.  Jolie requested primary custody of their six children, and Pitt was investigated for allegations of child abuse, according to People.

A flashpoint in Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s high-profile divorce is Chateau Miraval – the French estate that was the site of their wedding ceremony in 2014. (Photo: zz/Jackson Lee/STAR MAX/IPx)

Five years later, Angelina Jolie sold her stake in the winery to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group owned by Russian Oligarch Yuri Shefler, according to Robb Report. Pitt filed a lawsuit in 2022, claiming the sale was made with malicious intent.

The attorneys for the actress beg to differ. Court filings submitted by Nouvel claim Pitt has acted “like a petulant child” and is refusing to treat Jolie’s investment firm like an equal partner in the business, despite the firm has a 50 percent ownership over the estate, according to an article in People.

The new filing from Jolie’s investment firm was quoted in The Drinks Business as reading the following:

“Pitt’s investment company, Mondo Bongo has the same 50% ownership of Château Miraval as Nouvel and that as a co-equal owner, Pitt enjoys precisely the same rights and obligations as Nouvel — nothing more, nothing less.”

Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here!