Summary
Château Miraval near Correns in the Var is probably the most talked-about wine estate in Provence – and at the same time one of the most serious. Behind the celebrity of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stands, since 2012, the Famille Perrin from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which created with Miraval Rosé a pale, precise Provence rosé that made Wine Spectator's Top 100 with its very first vintage. The estate of around 500 hectares, with roughly 30 to 40 hectares of organically farmed vines, lies in a secluded valley of limestone hills, pine forest and olive groves – and houses a recording studio where Pink Floyd, AC/DC and Sade wrote music history. Since 2021 half of the estate has belonged to Stoli subsidiary Tenute del Mondo; a lawsuit over that sale is ongoing.
History
The Miraval valley has been farmed for centuries: the core of the bastide dates from the 17th century, and the current château with its 35 rooms was completed in 1841. For a long time wine played a supporting role alongside olives, forest and agriculture; the first documented vintage dates from 1970.
Miraval became world-famous not through wine but through music. In 1977 the French jazz pianist Jacques Loussier set up Studio Miraval together with sound engineer Patrice Quef. Over the following two decades it became one of the most coveted recording addresses in Europe: Pink Floyd worked here on 'The Wall' in 1979, followed by AC/DC, Judas Priest, The Cure, Sade, Wham!, The Cranberries and later Muse and Rammstein. In the 1990s – sources give 1993 or 1998 – the American businessman Tom Bove bought the property, modernised the viticulture and turned Miraval into a country retreat with spa and pool.
In 2008 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie leased the estate with an option to buy, which they exercised in 2011; the couple married in the Miraval chapel in 2014. Decisive for the wine was the partnership with Marc Perrin and the Famille Perrin of Château de Beaucastel, which has been responsible for vineyards and cellar as joint-venture partner since 2012. The first joint vintage, Miraval Rosé 2012, sold out within hours in March 2013. In October 2021 Jolie sold her half of the joint holding to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of Yuri Shefler's Stoli Group. Pitt filed suit in 2022, citing a mutual consent requirement; Jolie's side filed counterclaims. The proceedings in Los Angeles have not been concluded to this day. Independently of this, in 2022 Pitt reopened the completely renovated recording studio as Miraval Studios together with producer Damien Quintard.
Location & Terroir
Miraval lies in a secluded side valley near Correns, around 40 kilometres from the coast in the green hinterland of the Var. Since the late 1990s Correns has been regarded as the first village in France to have converted all of its agriculture to organic farming – a setting that shapes the estate. Depending on the source, the property covers around 400 to 500 hectares of pine forest, garrigue, olive groves, a lake and spring water; the vines grow mainly on the valley floor and the lower slopes at around 350 metres above sea level.
The soils are limestone-dominated, interspersed with clay and gravel. The altitude and the cool nights of the hinterland ensure a noticeably longer ripening period than on the coast – an advantage for freshness and acidity in the rosé. The vineyard area is split between two appellations: the larger part lies in the AOP Côtes de Provence, a smaller part in the AOP Coteaux Varois en Provence, which is the source of the white wine. The estate vineyards are farmed organically and are certified.
Style & Philosophy
The Perrin signature is unmistakable: the Miraval style is pale, dry and precise, with aromas of citrus, light berries and peach, a saline freshness and a creamy but never heavy mouthfeel. The grapes are picked in the cool morning hours, pressed gently and partly as whole bunches, and the must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel. A small portion of the wine is aged in demi-muids, adding structure and length to the blend.
The grape varieties have clear roles: Cinsault brings lightness and finesse, Grenache fruit and body, Syrah colour and backbone, Rolle freshness and citrus notes. For the large production of Miraval Rosé the estate works with partner growers in the Côtes de Provence – which is why the main cuvée carries no organic label, even though the estate's own vineyards are certified. The new winery, built directly beneath the recording studio, works with tulip-shaped concrete tanks for gentle fermentation.
Notable Vineyards & Wines
Miraval does not see itself as a single-vineyard estate but works with a clearly tiered collection:
- Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé – the main cuvée from Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle in the distinctive bottle with its curved shoulder; one of the best-selling premium rosés in the world
- Studio by Miraval – since 2019 the lighter, more approachable second cuvée, named after the recording studio
- Muse de Miraval – the top cuvée unveiled in 2018 from the best estate parcels, certified organic, bottled only in magnums
- Miraval Blanc – white wine from Rolle under the AOP Coteaux Varois en Provence, fresh and mineral
- Pink Floyd by Miraval – a rosé that recalls the recording of 'The Wall' in the studio
- Fleur de Miraval – rosé Champagne launched in 2020 by Pitt, the Perrins and grower Rodolphe Péters from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
The collection is rounded off by extra virgin olive oil from the estate's groves and, since 2023, by the gin 'The Gardener', also in collaboration with Famille Perrin.
Awards
The biggest success came right at the start: Miraval Rosé 2012 received 90 points from Wine Spectator and was the only rosé included in the 2013 Top 100 list, at No. 84 – a first that brought attention to the entire Provence rosé category. Subsequent vintages also regularly score 90 points and more in the trade press. For many critics Miraval is proof that a celebrity wine and a serious wine need not be a contradiction – thanks to the work of Famille Perrin, which gave the estate its craft foundation.
