2025 The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir

94 pts
From a low-yielding Upper Yarra site, this is The Wanderer’s signature Pinot – finely detailed, wild-edged and beautifully expressive of place.

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Sale price$62.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Andrew Marks has never been one to follow the pack with Yarra Pinot, and his flagship release out of Yellingbo shows exactly why his minimal-intervention style of Pinot has such a following.

He handles this single-vineyard MV6 fruit with a light touch, keeping twenty percent whole bunches and letting the wild ferment tick over naturally in large oak. It is unpolished in the best way possible, bottled without any fining or filtration to keep the raw energy of the site intact.

A tiny crop in 2025 gave the fruit some serious muscle. Instead of the pale, ethereal style you sometimes get from the Upper Yarra, this vintage has landed with massive density, presence and structural backbone. It is packed with a mix of dark cherries, crushed rose petals, and the typical volcanic smokiness of this site.

A more generous, substantial release than usual, but unmistakably Wanderer.

94 points - "The 2025 releases are characterised by their depth. It’s a very good thing in my opinion but the trade-off is that these releases aren’t quite their usual ethereal selves. This is all red and black cherries, red roses, sweet spices and autumnal leaf notes. It’s convincing at every turn. It’s aromatically pure and flush with flavour. This generosity means that they are more suited to drink young than usual, though I’m not sure that they’ll be any lesser performers in the cellar." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

Single vineyard wine from Yellingbo in the Upper Yarra Valley.

Cane pruned MV6 clone on free draining volcanic red soil with North Easterly aspect at 200m elevation.

20% whole bunches, remainder not crushed for retention of whole berries. Cold soak and fermentation in open fermenters. Wild ferment. Pumped over and hand plunged. Elevage in large format French oak, 30% new Damy Alliers, for 11 months on lees.

No fining or filtration. Estate bottled.

From another low cropping vintage.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Pinot Noir
Country Australia
Region Yarra Valley
Australian State VIC
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Critic Score 94
Alcohol 13.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure DIAM Cork

The Wanderer

The Wanderer is Andrew Marks’ personal venture, allowing him to step beyond his family’s Gembrook Hill vineyard to craft wines that reflect his deep winemaking experience. Raised at Gembrook Hill, one of the Yarra Valley’s pioneering vineyards, Andrew’s path was shaped by early exposure to viticulture and formal training at the University of Adelaide. His work at Penfolds, along with vintages in France and Spain, honed his ability to blend traditional techniques with a modern, thoughtful approach.

Under The Wanderer label, Andrew produces wines that express the unique character of each vineyard with minimal intervention. His delicate Pinot Noir, refined Chardonnay, and Rhone-inspired Syrah showcase finesse and precision, capturing the natural nuances of the fruit. These wines are all about subtlety and complexity, evolving naturally over time to reveal their layers.

Produced in small quantities, The Wanderer wines are highly sought after and known to sell out quickly. Each limited release reflects Andrew’s journey and his dedication to crafting wines that tell a story—of place, of vintage, and of his evolution as a winemaker. For those who appreciate elegance and nuance, The Wanderer offers something truly special, albeit fleeting.

Andrew Marks in the vineyard The Wanderer

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