Fans of Château Miraval’s much-loved rosé may not be aware of the estate’s role in music history. The property’s recording studio, built by a prior owner in 1977, was used by artists including The Cure, Sting, Sade, AC/DC and The Cranberries, among others. Pink Floyd famously recorded The Wall at this picturesque Provence château.
Owners Brad Pitt and the Perrin family (Angelina Jolie recently sold her shares in the estate to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group) have teamed up with Damien Quintard, an Emmy-winning French producer, to renovate and reopen Miraval Studios.
“When the album The Wall was recorded there, [then-owner] Jacques Loussier and the Château Miraval team created a cuvée called Pink Floyd,” Marc Perrin, of the Rhône's Château de Beaucastel and winemaker and partner at Château Miraval, told Wine Spectator. “Who knows what the next one will be? I am really enthusiastic about exploring the connections between music and wine, art and agriculture, and look forward to working with Damien Quintard and his team.”
![Brad Pitt (left) and French producer Damien Quintard will reopen Miraval Studios in summer 2022.]](https://mshanken.imgix.net/wso/bolt/2021-12/un_studio121621_1600.jpg?auto=compress,format,&sharp=5&vib=20&q=70&w=320 320w,https://mshanken.imgix.net/wso/bolt/2021-12/un_studio121621_1600.jpg?auto=compress,format,&sharp=5&vib=20&q=70&w=320 640w,https://mshanken.imgix.net/wso/bolt/2021-12/un_studio121621_1600.jpg?auto=compress,format,&sharp=5&vib=20&q=70&w=384 768w,https://mshanken.imgix.net/wso/bolt/2021-12/un_studio121621_1600.jpg?auto=compress,format,&sharp=5&vib=20&q=70&w=828 828w)
With a focus on natural light, the redesigned studio will feature original gear on which many iconic albums were recorded, as well as new state-of-the-art technology to accommodate pre-mixing for film and television. The space’s 25-foot ceilings create a “remarkable natural reverb” Quintard described, and the space will be ideal for producing “anything from pop and rock to hip-hop and classical records.”
When developing the project, Quintard and Pitt spent hours discussing music and the studio’s potential. “When we met in Paris, we immediately clicked,” said Quintard. “I was amazed at how sensitive and precise he was in his analysis of music.”
The beauty of the property and the excellence of the winemaking at Miraval will connect and contribute to the creative energy musicians will feel at Miraval Studios, Quintard told Wine Spectator. "When you enter Miraval, you're not only stunned by its history, its simplicity and the feeling of inner peace. No, you're also stunned by how much this domaine, the Perrin family and their teams work everyday to make fantastic things. Such craftsmanship comes from a long line of ‘Miraval Excellence’ from the records that were produced there to the winemaking business. We are so excited for musicians of all types to be a part of what we’ve created.”
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