Napier’s winemaker Ollie Powrie with what he claims is New Zealand's most expensive retail wine, Lorenzo the Magnificent, priced at $695. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Napier’s winemaker Ollie Powrie with what he claims is New Zealand's most expensive retail wine, Lorenzo the Magnificent, priced at $695. Photo / Rafaella Melo
A small husband-and-wife winery in Napier is releasing what the couple claim is New Zealand’s most expensive retail wine at $695 a bottle.
Chateau Garage, run by winemaker Ollie Powrie and his wife Rebecca Moses, launched Lorenzo the Magnificent, a limited-release blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese from the 2024harvest.
Only 225 bottles were produced. It was a small run compared to the 1000 to 5000 bottles of other Chateau Garage releases.
But Powrie described the 2024 vintage as “the kind of season winemakers dream about” and said the wine’s quality justified the ultra-premium pricing.
“It was a number that I felt like reflected just how special it was, but also how limited.
“And also, there is a motivation to put Hawke’s Bay wine in the spotlight. Hawke’s Bay is one of the most amazing places in the world to grow and make wine, but so much of it is sold too cheap.”
Ollie Powrie inspects a glass of Lorenzo the Magnificent in his Napier garage, where it was created. Photo / Rafaella Melo
“They’re not all fine wine collectors and buyers. There are people who want to experience it, but also people who want to put it away and celebrate a special birthday or a milestone with this wine.
“These aren’t people who are millionaires, that’s for sure.”
Alongside its commercial release, Chateau Garage is donating 24 bottles of Lorenzo the Magnificent to this year’s Cranford Hospice Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction, along with a hosted tasting and dinner experience for 12.
“The motivation originally came from wanting to produce something unique for the wine auction ... there is a long tradition of the auction having things available that you can’t normally buy,” Powrie said.
Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction spokeswoman Sam Kershaw says they hope this lot will catch bidders’ attention across the country, with live online bidding offered for the first time via The Wine Auction Room.
“As New Zealand’s oldest wine auction, we have been lucky enough to feature many pieces of New Zealand wine history over the years, and we can’t wait to add this truly special wine to that list,” Kershaw said.
“This year we’re hoping to raise over $300,000 for Cranford Hospice.”
Powrie said the wine was first meant to remain exclusive to the auction.
“Initially I was going to keep it limited for the auction, but the more I tasted and blended, the more I was excited to make it something that’s part of our business.”
The blend took inspiration from Italy’s famed “Super Tuscans”, which combine Bordeaux grapes with Sangiovese.
The Italy reference is also a nod to the family’s time living in Tuscany in 2022, where their daughters Sophia, 18, and India, 15, went to school in Florence. The wine takes its name from Lorenzo de Medici, the Renaissance patron who funded artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli.
Ollie Powrie with his wife Rebecca Moses, their daughters Sophia and India, and the family’s dog Bruno. Photo / Richard Brimer
Powrie said the launch marks a long journey from his Villa Maria days to a family-run winery that still operates much as it began, in the garage. He and his wife handle everything themselves, from fermenting to sealing each bottle with wax by hand.
Moses helps with sales and marketing, Sophia and India pitch in at harvest, and even the family dog, Bruno, keeps watch at the winery.
“Sometimes we’ll have 30 friends and family picking grapes with us,” Powrie said.
He said it’s unlikely the exact same wine will ever be made again.
“I think this is a piece of history and magic ... 2024 was the highest-quality vintage or harvest in my lifetime, and so will there be another one? I don’t know. Hopefully.”
Tasting Lorenzo
At $695 a bottle, each sip of Lorenzo works out to about $10. This reporter had half a glass (about five sips or roughly $50 worth), and I can promise you I didn’t waste a drop.
The experience began with the rich aroma. That first sip was fresh and structured at the same time, and with a different texture.
The flavour stayed in my mouth for longer than I expected, with a mix of fruit and earthy notes that seemed to linger.
I’m no expert, just a wine admirer, but having travelled to Mendoza in Argentina to taste some of the world’s best wines, I can say Lorenzo the Magnificent was certainly just as memorable.
