A massive load of flowers was delivered to Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling LA vineyard, where the media mogul is reportedly set to marry biologist Elena Zhukova today.
Murdoch, 92, and Zhukova, 62, are thought to be holding their wedding ceremony at his vineyard, which is located on his imposing Bel Air estate, Moraga.
After his six year marriage to Jerry Hall, which lasted from 2016 to 2022, Saturday’s rumored nuptials are set to mark Murdoch’s fifth marriage.
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the planned June 1 wedding on March 7.
Murdoch, who Forbes says has a fortune of around $20 billion, met Zhukova through his third wife, Wendi Deng.
A massive load of flowers was delivered to Rupert Murdoch ‘s sprawling LA vineyard, where the media mogul is reportedly set to marry biologist Elena Zhukova today
Pictures show workers lugging cartloads and buckets of flowers up a flagstone path in the direction of the estate
Murdoch met Zhukova (pictured) through his third wife. Zhukova will become the mogul’s fifth spouse
Pictures show workers lugging cartloads and buckets of flowers up a flagstone path in the direction of the estate. The flowers – white and delicate – seem suitable for a wedding ceremony.
Leafy green flowers in brown paper bags were also removed from the delivery truck and hauled toward the property.
In one picture, two men appear to be standing along the vineyard’s perimeter. One of the men is pointing, possibly to make sure some wedding detail isn’t overlooked.
There also appears to be an enhanced security presence. The pictures show men in dark jackets patrolling the street in front of the Bel Air mansion. In another picture, a member of the security team stands on a balcony and keeps an eye on the activity below him.
In other photos, valets in cobalt blue suits with crests stand ready to park the luxurious cars in which the guests are sure to arrive.
Tall hedges flank the property, hiding much of the activity happening behind them.
In one picture, two men appear to be standing along the vineyard’s perimeter. One of the men is pointing, possibly to make sure some wedding detail isn’t overlooked
Leafy green flowers in brown paper bags were also removed from the delivery truck and hauled toward the property
Valets in blue suits with crests stand ready to park the luxurious cars in which the guests are sure to arrive
There also appears to be an enhanced security presence. The pictures show men in dark jackets patrolling the street in front of the Bel Air mansion
Murdoch and Zhukova seem to be opting for a more intimate ceremony on the vineyard at Moraga, where the tycoon intends to spend his time and enjoy his retirement.
After Murdoch announced the surprising news that he would be stepping down as the chairman of Fox. Corp. and News Corp, DailyMail.com confirmed that he would be focusing most of his time on making world-class wines at his vineyard.
‘He wants Moraga to be a big part of his legacy,’ a Murdoch insider tells DailyMail.com. ‘He sees it as his responsibility to make sure the property has a secure future and that more people get to know the wine.’
‘He wanted to step down while he knew he had time and enough energy to focus on other things, especially Moraga,’ the source added.
Murdoch purchased the unique estate in August 2013 via his Moraga Canyon Vineyards LLC from former Northrop Grumman CEO Tom Jones after seeing it listed for sale in the mansions section of the Wall Street Journal, part of the media stable he ran.
Security kept a close watch on any activity happening outside the home
Two men stand outside Moraga and chat. The man on the right appears to be holding a suit
Los Angeles County property documents reveal the purchase price was $22.3million rather than the $28.8million widely reported – an example, perhaps, of Murdoch’s ability to broker a good deal.
Jones first planted vines on the property in 1980. He made Murdoch promise to keep the property as a working winery and, indeed, he has.
The unique estate sits on a 16-acre parcel of land in the center of the LA metropolis.
The secluded property, hiding behind a 7ft ivy-clad stone wall and large wooden driveway fence, was first built in 1937 as a horse ranch.
The first owner was Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz director Victor Fleming. Back then it used to host Hollywood greats such as Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh, Ingrid Bergman and Spencer Tracy for horse-riding and extravagant parties.
Murdoch purchased Moraga for $22.3million in August 2013
The secluded property, hiding behind a 7ft ivy-clad stone wall and large wooden driveway fence, was first built in 1937 as a horse ranch
As well as a 7,500 square-foot ranch-style house, there is a guest house, various other outbuildings and a wine cave, the only one in Los Angles County.
It is Moraga, located on quiet, tree-lined Moraga Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains, that has captured Murdoch’s heart more than any of his other luxury homes.
Sources say Hall, 25 years his junior, had hoped to inherit the vineyard and had been taking an online viticulture course before Murdoch’s shock announcement to her via email in 2022 that their marriage was over and he wanted a divorce.
In between his divorce from Hall and his relationship with Zhukora, Murdoch was engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, a retired dental hygienist, for a matter of weeks.
The media tycoon’s first marriage was in 1956 to Patricia Booker, from whom he divorced eleven years later in 1967.
Sources say Hall, 25 years his junior, had hoped to inherit the vineyard and had been taking an online viticulture course before Murdoch’s shock announcement to her via email in 2022 that their marriage was over and he wanted a divorce
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Rupert Murdoch, 92, announces engagement to girlfriend Elena Zhukova, 67, and reveals plans to marry in June
That same year, Murdoch married his second wife, Anna Maria Torv, with whom he remained for 32 years before ultimately splitting up in 1999.
Later that year, Murdoch married Deng, his third wife. They divorced in 2013.
Zhukova, Murdoch’s soon-to-be fifth wife, emigrated to the United States from Moscow. She was previously married to Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor.
As early as March, Murdoch and Zhukova sent out wedding invitations, which reportedly said that the event would be held in June at the mogul’s beloved Moraga.
Now that the nuptials are both retired, the pair plan on spending their time at the Bel Air estate, where Murdoch hopes to develop an internationally competitive winery.
But unlike the billions made by the media companies money-conscious Murdoch ran, the winery has not been a huge money-maker.
Zhukova, Murdoch’s soon-to-be fifth wife, emigrated to the United States from Moscow. She was previously married to Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor
Murdoch intends to develop Moraga and turn it into an internationally competitive wine brand
The business loses between $2-$3million a year due to taxes, property prices, and since it’s located in a residential neighborhood with homes surrounding it all sides, the number of vines cannot be increased to boost production.
Fortunately, the wine already has a cult following and Murdoch intends to capitalize on this.
A self-professed oenophile, his goal is for ‘wine lovers everywhere to have the opportunity to understand the unique nuances of our specific soil at Moraga and how that translates into the amazing wines we create,’ according to the Moraga website.
‘We are not Napa nor Bordeaux,’ Murdoch explains. ‘We are Moraga and deserve a place a the table with the rest of the world’s top wines.’