Château Miraval

The long "people" history of Château de Miraval

We don't know precisely when the first buildings were erected on the Miraval estate, but its location on one of the five great Roman roads that crossed Gaul, the Via Aurelia, attests to its antiquity. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are not the first celebrities to have passed through the château de Miraval. In the Middle Ages, Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the foremost masters of scholastic philosophy and Catholic theology, passed through here. He stayed here in 1252.

In the 16th century, it was the Prince of Naples' turn to settle here. He even made it his principal residence, in pursuit of his alliance strategy with the French king of the time. In 1841, a new and original tenant took up residence at Château de Miraval. He was the inventor Joseph-Louis Lambot (1814-1887). He had just married Lucette Latil and decided to settle in the house, which was owned by his family. This pioneering inventor of reinforced cement gave birth to reinforced concrete. But his talents as an inventor didn't stop there, and he devoted part of his life to developing tools and accessories that would make life easier for farmers and, of course, winegrowers too. He thus developed various containers and tanks that were very useful to farmers.

In 1970, after a philosopher, a prince and an inventor, it was the turn of an artist to take up residence at Château de Miraval. He was a jazz pianist, Frenchman Jacques Loussier. He created a 300-square-meter recording studio that would become famous the world over, thanks to the eclecticism of the musicians who came to record their albums: Muse (with the album Black Holes and Revelations), Pink Floyd (part of the album The Wall was recorded here), Sting, Sade, The Cure, Courtney Love, The Cranberries, Téléphone, UB40, Level 42, AC/DC, Wham!, Indochine, etc.

In 1998, American businessman Tom Bove took over the estate. Château de Miraval was then rented out and a couple took up residence: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. In 2011, they decided to buy the estate. The transaction is valued at 35 million euros, plus a further 10 million euros for works and improvements. The winemaking estate is shared equally with winemaker Marc Perrin.

The two Hollywood stars' wedding was celebrated there in 2014. In 2017, they were condemned by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal for failing to pay the plastic artist Odile Soudant, who had worked for three and a half years to renovate the venue. The artist was abruptly dismissed, without being able to complete her work, and above all without being paid for the work already accomplished. Pitt and Jolie paid her €565,000 in damages.

It was in the 17th century that the building took its definitive form as a château-bastide. Today, it sits in the middle of a 600-hectare estate that includes an olive grove, a pine forest and, of course, the 30-hectare vineyard. The commune to which it belongs, Correns, is considered France's leading organic village. The commune has around 700 inhabitants and is less than 100 kilometers from Toulon, Aix en Provence and Marseille.

The Château de Miraval wine

The succession of celebrities who have flocked to Château de Miraval should not overshadow the quality of its wine. The winery covers thirty hectares of organically farmed land in two communes: Correns and Châteauvert. A total of 100,000 bottles are produced each year. These include two AOC appellations: Côtes de Provence and Coteaux Varois en Provence.

The former covers 24 hectares of the estate, the latter 5 hectares. Rosé production is the most famous, but the estate also produces two whites and a red. The 2012 Côtes de Provence rosé Miraval was the first rosé to be ranked among the one hundred best wines in the world by Wine Spectator in 2013 and Best Rosé in the World that same year.

Chateau de Miraval rosé wine

The vin rosé du Château de Miraval is both fruity and floral. It is fine, fresh and elegant. Its color is a pretty pale pink reminiscent of flower petals. It is made from a blend of Syrah, Rolle, Grenache and Cinsault. Its nose offers a proposes a magnificent aromatic expression with aromas of fresh fruit and spring flowers. Its palate has a refreshing acidity, with a hint of minerality and a saline finish.

Chateau de Miraval rosé wine is a delicious accompaniment to white meat and fish, as well as desserts. You can serve it alongside a crab, grapefruit and avocado salad, skewers of barbecued duck breast with its honey-mustard sauce and finish with a red fruit sorbet.

Chateau de Miraval white wine

Château de Miraval's white wine is made from a blend of Grenache and Rolle produced on the part of the estate identified as "Terres blanches". The result is a wine beautifully balanced between fruit and minerality.It is fine and fresh, with an intense mouthfeel of great length.

His color is a bright, crystalline pale yellow. Its nose is very expressive, as it is highly aromatic. You'll find aromas of hawthorn, almonds and pears, with floral notes that evoke its native Provence. To take full advantage of the aromas of Château de Miraval white wine, you can serve it with your shellfish platters, barbecued prawn kebabs or grilled meats. It also goes very well with charcuterie as a starter.