
‘A Noble Bitterness’ and a Hefty Price of Miraval L’Huile d’Olive.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie recently launched a brand of organic extra virgin olive oil. Produced from olives grown on their wedding French Estate, Château Miraval, the new addition to the Brangelina empire was launched as an exclusive gourmet product with a hefty price tag of 85€ for 3 bottles totalling just 500ml.
The newly released 10,000 bottles of L’Huile d’Olive Miraval packaged in black stoneware bottles went on sale in a few of France’s specialty food shops and the Famille Perrin website.
For the price, the lucky owner will get a blended extra virgin olive oil produced from olives grown on the Miraval estate and locally-sourced Verdale, Pichouline, Tanche, Lucques, Aglandau, Cayon and Arboussane organic olives.
Purchased by the power couple back in 2011, the 1,000-acre estate was known to produce good quality white and rose wine for a while: The first batch of Miraval Rosé was released in 2012. The initial 6,000 bottles sold in five hours, according to reports. Miraval Rosé went on to be named Wine Spectator’s top rosé wine of 2013. Fast forward to the midst of the couple’s divorce settlement, the 12 hectares of 12-years old olive trees have reached the maturity required for production of 100% organic Brangelina oil.
The taste of Brangelina Extra Virgin Olive Oil is described to have ‘a noble bitterness’ – welling up – and the undertones of ‘almond, hazelnut and artichoke barigoule.’ But, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s blind tasting in Paris, “French-American chef Justin Kent, who cut his teeth at L’Arpege and Verjus and now runs Zia in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, sensed hints of basil and citrus in the oil, with a spicy “almost peppery” finish. But Basque-French chef Inaki Aizpitarte of the famed Chateaubriand, who sipped the oil from a glass like a fine wine, felt that while it had a tangy finish and beautiful colour, it fell flat quickly and “misses the freshness of the region.” At 85€ for half a litre, the chefs pronounced the oil overpriced.
While the rose from the estate can be bought online for as ‘little’ as £18 per bottle, snapping a bottle of Brangelina’s Extra Virgin with limited supply might prove a bit difficult. But there are no limits to fans’ love and affection so you still have a chance to grab a bottle of oil that witnessed the rise and fall of the ‘Brangelina empire’.
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).