Brad Pitt's winery, Château Miraval in Provence, France, will always hold a special place in his heart, despite what it might represent today.
Though the estate is now one of the points of most contention in his years-long legal battle over his divorce from Angelina Jolie, it was once an idyllic retreat for the former couple, and where they welcomed their youngest children, twins Vivienne and Knox, who just turned 16.
Today, the F1 actor still owns half of the property — his legal battle with his ex is largely over her decision to sell her half to Stoli Group — and it's the site of his latest photoshoot.
Brad along with his longtime friend, frequent collaborator, and Wolfs co-star George Clooney appear in a new story for GQ together ahead of their new film's release at the Venice Film Festival, and the shoot was photographed in Miraval.
George and his wife Amal Clooney have spent their summer between Provence and Lake Como — they own estates in both jet-set destinations — and he is even quoted as saying: "Literally, I just drove from my house."
The feature also describes the nearly 200-year-old buildings Miraval comprises, a chapel, a "summer kitchen" overlooking the vineyard and the lake, which Brad recently "enlarged," plus, a sweet cameo from George and Amal's seven-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, who were reportedly enthralled with the many animals Brad has throughout the property.
Brad and Angelina — who started dating in 2005, married at Miraval in 2014, and split in 2016, though are still in the process of settling their divorce — purchased Miraval in 2008. It was bought for $28.4 million, and they began selling their own rosé five years later, under the guidance of the Perrin winemaking family.
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They have been at odds over the property since 2021, when Angelina sold the holding company in control of her 50% share of the winery (Nouvel) for $67 million to Stoli Group, and Brad subsequently sued her over the decision, claiming she was aiming to inflict harm on him amid their divorce, and that Stoli's owner, Russian businessman Yuri Shefler, would undermine his remaining stake in the wine company.
Earlier this year, a judge dismissed most of his claims against his estranged former spouse, and the the Maleficent actress' attorney Paul Murphy told Entertainment Tonight at the time: "The judge dismissed most of Mr. Pitt's claims because they don't have a legal basis," adding: "Mr. Pitt's lawsuit has never been about a business dispute; instead, it is about his attempts to cover up serious abuse, and we are gratified the judge has thrown out so much of Mr. Pitt's complaint."
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Despite the dismissal, the lawsuit remains ongoing — they have had several court hearings in Los Angeles this summer — as the court granted Brad time to make the dismissed claims legally tenable, and moreover two other claims are yet to be settled.
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One includes Brad's argument that he had an unwritten and unspoken though implied contract with Angelina that she would not sell her stake in the winery without his consent. (Though they need to meet certain criteria, implied contracts can be legally binding and enforceable in court.)
Prior to their acrimonious split, the two shared six kids: Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 16.