Gembrook Hill
Upper Yarra Valley, Victoria
Andrew Marks is a second-generation Yarra Valley viticulturalist and winemaker. He continues on the estate his parents Ian and June established in 1983. His site faces north-east, and the focus is on Pinot Noir first and foremost, followed by Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling wine production. With what are now old vines, Andre makes some of the most elegant, pure, and ethereal wines in the whole of the Yarra. Just don’t be fooled by their pale colour: these wines are concentrated and long in flavour, yet featherlight in weight.
Gembrook Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2021
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Farming: organic
ABV: 12.5%
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Always a dark horse in the Gembrook Hill range and much more of a ‘serious’ example of Sauvignon Blanc compared to others. Rather than the exotic, tropical elements of many Sauv Blancs from the new world, the fruit spectrum here is more aligned with orchard fruit and stone fruit character. It has a waxy texture with some pithy, dry extract that adds character and ample drinkability to the wine. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Gembrook Hill Chardonnay 2022
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Soil: Red soils.
Grape: Chardonnay
Farming: organic
ABV: 12.5%
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This straddles a nice line of medium-bodied Chardonnay, with pockets of generous stone fruit and taunt, high-toned acidity that the Yarra can provide, particularly out of a cool vintage like 2022. Flavours here are in the white peach, underripe nectarine spectrum, also showing green apple and lemon pith. Like all of Andrew’s wines, it’s the sense of energy and vitality here that really makes the wine what it is. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir 2022
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Region: Yarra Valley
Soil: East facing natural amphitheatre. 300m elevation. Red soils. Steep elevation. High rainfall. Cool climate. Estate vines – sustainably grown by the winemaker. Vine age – planted from 1983.
Grape: Pinot Noir
Farming: Minimal intervention and organic. Hand harvested.
ABV: 13%
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A week cold soak, 3 weeks further on skins. No yeast added. Pressed to tank for settling then run to new and old French hogsheads (20% new). Malo in barrel. Racked prior to bottling. Lightly sulphured. Unfiltered. Bottled on site. 2022 An extremely low yielding year.
2022 is a fairly cool year in the Yarra Valley (and across many Australian wine regions for that matter) and this is nicely reflected in this wine. It's a wine of real freshness and 'cool' flavours, noting that it is lighter than recent releases. Aromas are reminiscent of wild flowers and fresh country air. On the palate, it is red-fruited, showing pomegranate and wild strawberry with pleasant mouthfeel and a fine texture. The palate shows some expanse and although it is only medium bodied at most, it holds a presence with very good length of flavour. I suspect it may put on some weight with 12 months in bottle. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Gembrook Hill ‘JKM’ Pinot Noir 2022
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Grape: Pinot Noir
Farming: organic
ABV: 13%
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1/3 wholebunch fermentation
Top-tier Pinot from Andrew, only made it very good vintages. (The first release came from vintage 2019, from memory). This has basically sold out, but the 2023 is due to land in october 2024…
Gembrook Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2023
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Farming: organic
ABV: 13%
Tech Specs: pH: 3.26 TA: 6.4
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Estate fruit, hand picked, 40 year old vines.
A great reflection of the cooler vintage, with a lively acid line bringing ample freshness. There’s a crunch to the fruit profile here, showing white beach and freshly cut cold green apple. A bit of lees work has brought some added substance to the wine and enhanced texture, too. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Gembrook Hill Chardonnay 2023
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Soil: Red volcanic soils.
Grape: Chardonnay
Farming: organic
ABV: 12.5%
Tech Specs: pH: 3.2 TA: 6.3
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Whole bunch pressed, malo neither encouraged or disgouraged (but rarely goes through). Native yeasts.
Like the Sauvignon Blanc, this wine nicely reflects the cooler year. There’s a lively, citric element to the fruit profile which is attractive and lends freshness and energy. On the palate, just-ripe stone fruit sits above a layer of ground almonds and meal which brings a layer of complexity and a savoury edge. The integration of flavours and textures is impossible to fault. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Gembrook Hill ‘Village’ Pinot Noir 2023
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Region: Yarra Valley
Soil: Grey clay loam
Grape: Pinot Noir
Farming: Minimal intervention and organic. Hand harvested.
ABV: 13.5%
Tech Specs: pH 3.5 TA 6.5
Closure: Diam Cork -
Fruit is destemmed, fermented on skins for 3-4 weeks and matured in large format old French oak. Unfined, unfiltered. Estate bottled.
This is the only wine in the Gembrook Hill range that is not made from grapes grown on the estate. This year, ‘Village’ Pinot is a single vineyard pinot from a site in Yellingbo in the Upper Yarra Valley. In a curious twist for the Upper Yarra Valley though, this vineyard is situated on grey clay loam. So while the fruit has hallmark Upper Yarra perfume it has a denser richer palate and tannin structure. - Andrew Marks, winemaker.
Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir 2023
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Region: Yarra Valley
Soil: East facing natural amphitheatre. 300m elevation. Red soils. Steep elevation. High rainfall. Cool climate. Estate vines – sustainably grown by the winemaker. Vine age – planted from 1983.
Grape: Pinot Noir
Farming: Minimal intervention and organic. Hand harvested.
ABV: 13%
Tech Specs: pH: 3.6 TA: 6gL
Closure: Diam Cork -
A week cold soak, 3 weeks further on skins. No yeast added. Pressed to tank for settling then run to new and old French hogsheads. 2023 was the lowest-yielding vintage since 2001. Only 3 barrels of this wine were made (1 new) i.e 33% new oak. Malo in barrel. Racked prior to bottling. Lightly sulphured. Unfiltered. Bottled on site.
This wine was shown around the London trade in October 2024 and received a fantastic reception. In some cases, it was shown alongside the 2022 release and a 2005 for sake of comparison and to showcase how gracefully the wines age. The 2023 vintage is typically pale in the glass, with red fruited scents and flavours of cranberry, blood orange and brown twig. There is a botanical freshness to this release and it’s a wine only at the very start of its journey. While 2022 was also a cool year, the Gembrook wine from that vintage showed what 12 extra months in bottle can do, with added weight and substance starting to show. And as for the 2005, it was tertiary with brown earth, forest floor, moss and wet leaf all in beautiful harmony, with a core of fruit still very much present. - Chesterton Cook, LC Selections.
Gembrook Hill ‘JKM’ Pinot Noir 2023
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Grape: Pinot Noir
Farming: organic
ABV: 13%
Tech Specs: pH: 3.65 TA: 5.4gl
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85% wholebunch fermentation.
The intention for this wine is to explore both new viticultural and wine making techniques, while still capturing the essence of the vineyard. The viticultural technique is shoot selection - a refinement of shoot thinning which we have always used in the vineyard. This serves to open up the canopy, reducing disease risk and increasing sunlight into the canopy, while producing more intense fruit. The winemaking technique is the use of some whole bunch fermentation from our newest plantings of Pinot which was then matured in a new French hogshead. This made up a 85% of the wine while the rest comes from destemmed fruit. One barrel only made of this wine in 2023! - Andrew Marks, winemaker.
Gembrook Hill ‘IJM’ Pinot Noir 2023
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Region: Upper Yarra Valley
Grape: Pinot Noir
Farming: organic
ABV: 13%
Tech Specs: pH: 3.6 TA: 5.4gL
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In 2017 reaction to the sudden death of Ian [Andrew’s father] was to produce a wine in his honour. This was a tiny batch of Pinot Noir drawn from a portion of the oldest Pinot vines on the property, and a third drawn from the newest MV6 young vines. This blend represented something of the snake eating its own tail – the Ouroboros or symbol for eternal cyclic renewal. In other words, recognition that Gembrook Hill had become a legacy vineyard for our family. The IJM, Ian James Marks, was made as a pure expression of site, matured in old French oak to allow terroir to shine through. A quintessential vigneron's wine, to reflect Ian's passion for the vineyard. Only one barrel was made in 2023. – Andrew Marks, winemaker.
