Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s fight over $500 mn Miraval winery reaches court | A look at the numbers

Hollywood's bitterest divorce saga has Troy fame Brad Pitt and Maleficent star Angelina Jolie fighting over a French winery, Château Miraval, which is worth $500 million. The legal battle over the estate could reach its 10th year until the verdict is out, according to media reports.

The Château Miraval winery, spread over 1,300 acres, has been a major success since the Hollywood power couple acquired the estate in 2008 and partnered with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel to launch their first wines in 2013.

The French winery grew by 17.4 per cent in 2020, reaching nearly 150,000 sales, according to a report by the Wine Spectator. The couple paid an estimated $60 million for the estate in 2012, whose value doubled to $162 million in 2021.

$350 million; 60-40 partnership at stake

Before their marriage, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought Miraval together, with the former owning 60 per cent and the latter 40 per cent. Pitt gifted 10 per cent to his partner after the couple tied the knot.

Things took a brutal turn when Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 and sold off her shares to Yuri Shefler, the owner of the Russian vodka giant Stoli. However, Brad Pitt claimed that the sale breached the existing contract and declared the transaction as void.

In response, Jolie filed a $350 million countersuit against Brad, accusing him of misusing the winery's assets.

Case to drag until 2026

Although the Hollywood stars have moved forward in their personal lives, the case continues to drag on. Amid the ongoing legal dispute, Brad Pitt acquired the majority of the French wine yard in February 2024.

In early November, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected Jolie's efforts to have the case dismissed, clearing the way for the legal proceedings to move forward. 

According to sources who spoke to Page Six, depositions are scheduled, and the legal battle could stretch until 2026. 

"Eventually, Angie and Brad will have to sit for depositions," one insider revealed, noting, “There’s no way out now as they approach trial.”