In the latest development in what has proved to be one of the nastiest divorce battles to involve custody of a wine property, the Milan-based Campari Group has been drawn into the battle for Château Miraval. A new lawsuit by Nouvel, the company that Angelina Jolie sold to the Stoli Group, demands records from Campari America, which represents the prestigious Château Miraval rosé brand in the U.S. and in France.
Miraval, which is operated by Brad Pitt and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape-based Perrin family, entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with the Campari Group in September 2023. The strategic partnership aimed to market Miraval’s rosé wines as a pre-dinner aperitif, given that Campari is a strong leader in the aperitif category with its fast-growing Aperol and Campari brands.
Yet Nouvel wants to know how, in the middle of its ongoing legal dispute with Pitt and his partners, Campari was permitted to secure the rights to become the sole distributor of Miraval’s wines. The motion, filed in California on July 29, demands all information which could shed light on, what Stoli Group calls, Campari’s involvement in “Pitt’s scheme to plunder Château Miraval’s assets and value,” according to a statement by Stoli.
Campari isn’t the first drinks company that’s been pulled into the escalating feud between the former spouses over the 1,300-acre Provence wine estate they purchased together in happier times in 2012. It all began in 2022 when Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie for selling her share of Miraval to the Stoli Group, owned by Russian businessman Yuri Shefler, without Pitt’s knowledge or consent.
Jolie’s former company Nouvel countersued, claiming that Pitt and his winemaking partner, Marc Perrin of Famille Perrin, acted illegally by wrongly freezing her out of the business and intentionally devaluing her investment. They sought damages of $250 million.
Jolie’s legal team filed a motion in April 2024 to release communication which would prove that Pitt refused to allow her to sell her shares in Château Miraval to him unless she agreed to an onerous non-disclosure agreement. Pitt has always maintained that Jolie contributed nothing to the success of the winery, and she sold her shares to an undesirable business partner out of spite in the wake of their 2016 divorce.
What this means for the future of Campari’s ten-year distribution deal with Miraval is unclear. Miraval’s wines—Miraval Côtes de Provence, Muse de Miraval, Studio by Miraval and Fleur de Miraval—continue to be some of the best selling rosés in the U.S. and France.
Stay on top of important wine stories with Wine Spectators free Breaking News Alerts.
