2025 The Wanderer Yellingbo Chardonnay | 95 Point Upper Yarra Chardonnay

🏆 95 HALLIDAY | ONLY 70 DOZEN MADE | SERIOUSLY EXCITING UPPER YARRA CHARDONNAY

Andrew Marks and The Wanderer are becoming names you need to know

This is beautifully restrained modern Yarra Valley Chardonnay

95+ Points – Halliday Wine Companion
94 Points – The Wine Front

Yellingbo, Yarra Valley, Victoria

RRP $43 a bottle

Tiny Production. Volcanic Soils. 95+ Halliday Points. Just $43.

Here's another wine that shows why Andrew Marks and The Wanderer are becoming names you need to know.

The 2025 The Wanderer Yellingbo Chardonnay comes from a tiny single-vineyard parcel at Yellingbo, high in the Yarra Valley, where Chardonnay grows on red volcanic soils at approximately 200 metres elevation.

Only around 70 dozen were produced.

And the reviews?

95+ Points – Halliday Wine Companion
94 Points – The Wine Front

At an RRP of just $43.

That's a remarkable combination.

This is beautifully restrained modern Yarra Valley Chardonnay: nectarine, citrus, grapefruit, chalk, saline minerality, subtle nuttiness and a long, precise finish.

No heavy-handed oak.

No excessive richness.

No winemaking tricks.

Just vineyard, fruit, texture and energy.

95+ Points – Halliday Wine Companion

The 2025 has received an outstanding 95+ points from Halliday Wine Companion.

Halliday's public listing confirms the wine was tasted on 30 April 2026, with an alcohol level of just 12.5%.

Philip Rich's published review describes a single-vineyard Yellingbo Chardonnay, fermented and matured in older French puncheons.

The aromatic profile moves through:

Nectarine • Pink grapefruit • Lemon curd

before a beautifully balanced palate brings:

Pure fruit • Delicate texture • Chalkiness • Salinity • Nutty complexity

and a long finish.

That's exactly the sort of Chardonnay the Upper Yarra does so brilliantly.

94 Points – The Wine Front

Add another excellent:

94 Points – The Wine Front

and you've got two of Australia's most respected wine-reviewing sources recognising the quality here.

That combination of 95+ Halliday and 94 Wine Front is particularly impressive when you remember we're talking about a Chardonnay with an RRP of just $43.

This isn't simply a good inexpensive Chardonnay.

This is serious, small-production Yarra Valley Chardonnay at an everyday premium-wine price.

Tasting Notes

The 2025 is beautifully fine and energetic, showing:

• White nectarine
• White peach
• Pink grapefruit
• Lemon curd
• Bitter citrus rind
• Fresh lemon
• White flowers
• Chalk
• Sea spray
• Roasted nuts
• Subtle savoury notes
• Fine lees texture
• Saline minerality

There's an almost ocean-spray salinity running through the wine, giving the palate wonderful freshness and drive.

The fruit is there, but it isn't sweet or obvious.

Instead, everything feels restrained and beautifully controlled.

Stone fruit. Citrus. Chalk. Salt. Nuts.

Then that long, dry, savoury finish keeps pulling you back for another glass.

Red Volcanic Soils – Yellingbo

This is where the story gets particularly interesting.

The Chardonnay comes from Yellingbo in the Upper Yarra Valley, with the vineyard sitting at approximately:

200 metres elevation

on:

Red volcanic soil

with a:

Northerly aspect.

That combination of elevation and cool Upper Yarra conditions is ideally suited to Chardonnay.

The grapes can develop flavour slowly while retaining the natural acidity essential to producing fine, age-worthy Chardonnay.

The result isn't about sheer power.

It's about tension, precision and length.

Cane-Pruned Chardonnay

The vineyard is planted to cane-pruned Chardonnay on those red volcanic soils.

And Andrew Marks doesn't try to overcomplicate things in the winery.

This is a wine built around preserving the personality of that vineyard.

That's a recurring theme with The Wanderer.

Site first. Winemaking second.

And when you're dealing with Chardonnay fruit this good, that's exactly how it should be.

Whole-Bunch Pressed

The winemaking starts with:

Whole-bunch pressing.

The juice is then transferred into barrel with full solids the following day.

That's significant.

Whole-bunch pressing can give Chardonnay particularly fine juice, while fermenting with full solids can contribute texture, savoury complexity and additional layers to the finished wine.

But nothing here feels forced.

It's about building complexity without sacrificing purity.

Wild Fermentation

The wine then undergoes:

Wild fermentation

in:

Large-format French oak.

Wild fermentation fits perfectly with Andrew Marks' philosophy.

Halliday describes The Wanderer as a series of single-vineyard wines where Marks aims to achieve the best expression of individual vineyards through minimal handling in the winery.

That's exactly what you see here.

The wine isn't designed in the winery.

It's grown in the vineyard.

Seasoned Large-Format French Oak

Here's another detail I love.

There's no attempt to impress with expensive new oak.

The wine undergoes fermentation and élevage in:

Seasoned large-format French oak.

That matters.

The oak provides a vessel for fermentation and maturation and contributes texture and complexity without loading the wine with vanilla, toast or obvious woody flavours.

That's why the wine's:

Nectarine • Grapefruit • Lemon • Chalk • Salinity

remain front and centre.

The oak stays where it belongs.

In the background.

Left on Lees – No Stirring

After fermentation, the Chardonnay is:

Left on lees without stirring until bottling.

That's a fascinating detail.

Lees contact can build texture and savoury complexity, but Andrew Marks doesn't stir the lees to deliberately fatten or broaden the palate.

Instead, the wine develops quietly.

The result is a Chardonnay with texture but still plenty of line, energy and precision.

That's one of the reasons the wine feels so composed.

Only 70 Dozen Made

Now we get to the problem.

There isn't much.

Published production information puts the entire production at approximately:

70 dozen.

That's only around 840 bottles.

For context, that's tiny.

This isn't a Chardonnay being made by the thousands of cases and distributed everywhere.

It's genuinely small-production wine.

And with 95+ Halliday points and 94 Wine Front at $43 RRP, I can't imagine it hanging around forever.

Andrew Marks – One of the Yarra's Quiet Achievers

The Wanderer is the personal project of Andrew Marks, winemaker and viticulturist at his family's famous Gembrook Hill vineyard.

Halliday notes that Andrew spent six years as a winemaker at Penfolds before returning to Gembrook Hill in 2005, while his international experience includes vintages in France and Spain—including work at Etienne Sauzet in Puligny-Montrachet.

That last detail is particularly interesting when you're talking about Chardonnay.

Puligny-Montrachet is sacred ground for the variety.

But The Wanderer isn't about copying Burgundy.

Marks is using that experience to make wines that are unmistakably Yarra Valley.

Burgundy Influence – Yarra Valley Identity

There's a Burgundian sensibility to the winemaking.

You can see it in the:

Whole-bunch pressing
Barrel fermentation
Wild yeast
Lees maturation
Large-format French oak
Minimal handling

But the wine itself belongs firmly to Yellingbo.

It's the combination of cool climate, volcanic soils, elevation and restrained winemaking that gives this Chardonnay its personality.

And that's exactly what I want from modern Australian Chardonnay.

Not a Burgundy imitation.

A great Australian Chardonnay that understands why Burgundy is great.

The Wanderer Chardonnay vs Yellingbo Pinot Noir

Here's a fantastic tasting idea.

The Wanderer makes both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Yellingbo, but the vineyards reveal completely different expressions of the area.

2025 Yellingbo Chardonnay – $43

95+ Halliday | 94 Wine Front

200m elevation
Red volcanic soil
Northerly aspect
Whole-bunch pressed
Wild fermented
Seasoned large-format French oak

Nectarine • Grapefruit • Lemon • Chalk • Saline • Nutty

2025 Yellingbo Pinot Noir – $43

96 Halliday | 93 Wine Front

180m elevation
Heavy grey clay
MV6 Pinot Noir
100% destemmed
Whole berries
Seasoned large-format French oak

Black Cherry • Woodsy Spice • Nuts • Undergrowth • Fine Tannin

Two wines.

Same winemaker.

Same locality.

Same price.

Completely different vineyard expressions.

And both are exceptional value.

How Does It Compare with Top Yarra Chardonnay?

This is where the $43 RRP becomes hard to ignore.

The Yarra Valley is currently producing some of the finest Chardonnay in Australia, and Halliday's recent Chardonnay coverage has again highlighted the region's strength.

The benchmark names aren't inexpensive anymore.

Yet here you have:

Single vineyard.
Upper Yarra.
Volcanic soils.
Whole-bunch pressed.
Wild fermented.
Large-format French oak.
Tiny production.
95+ Halliday points.
94 Wine Front points.
$43 RRP.

That's why this wine stands out.

Food Pairings

This style of Chardonnay is brilliant at the table.

Try it with:

• Fresh oysters
• King George whiting
• Grilled snapper
• Seared scallops
• Prawns
• Lobster
• Roast chicken
• Pork
• Mushroom risotto
• Goat's cheese
• Comté
• Fresh seafood pasta

I'd go straight for King George whiting or scallops.

The wine's citrus, chalk and saline characters would be superb with seafood.

Serve at around 10–12°C rather than refrigerator-cold.

Give it a decent-sized Chardonnay glass and let it warm slightly as you drink it.

Drinking & Cellaring

Halliday's published review suggests enjoying the wine now and over approximately the next four to five years.

I'd comfortably suggest:

Drink now–2031+.

Young, the attraction is all about:

Nectarine • Citrus • Chalk • Salt • Energy

With bottle age, expect more:

Nuts • Toast • Honeyed citrus • Savoury complexity

to develop.

At $43, I'd buy enough to drink some now and watch a few bottles evolve.

Why We Love It

This is precisely the kind of Chardonnay we love finding.

Not a huge brand.

Not huge production.

Not a huge price.

Just seriously good wine.

Look at what you're getting:

🔥 95+ Points – Halliday Wine Companion
⭐ 94 Points – The Wine Front
Single-Vineyard Yellingbo Chardonnay
200m Elevation
Red Volcanic Soil
Whole-Bunch Pressed
Full Solids
Wild Fermentation
Seasoned Large-Format French Oak
Lees Maturation Without Stirring
12.5% Alcohol
Only Around 70 Dozen Produced

And the RRP?

$43.

That's exceptional buying.

There's no excess here.

No excessive oak.

No excessive alcohol.

No excessive richness.

Instead you get nectarine, pink grapefruit, lemon curd, chalk, saline minerality and subtle nuttiness, delivered with beautiful precision and length.

If you love Chardonnay from Gembrook Hill, Oakridge, Giant Steps, Yarra Yering or other leading Yarra Valley producers, The Wanderer absolutely belongs on your radar.

Andrew Marks' 2025 releases are looking seriously impressive, and this might be one of the smartest buys in the range.

95+ Halliday. 94 Wine Front. Tiny production. Single-vineyard volcanic-soil Yarra Chardonnay. $43 RRP.

The 2025 The Wanderer Yellingbo Chardonnay is exceptional value—and with only around 70 dozen made, it won't be around forever.