2025 The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir

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.

97 points
"Fragrant and spicy aromas of red and black fruits, rose bush and a touch of allspice. The fruit has thoroughly swallowed up the oak. Medium bodied, with excellent depth and very persistent, fine-grained tannins. Finishes long. A super wine destined to improve over the next six to eight years."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)