Gembrook Hill’s 2025 release captures the character of a site four decades in the making

For Andrew Marks, the 2025 Gembrook Hill release is another reminder that great vineyards reveal themselves regardless of the season.

Despite a warm, early vintage in 2025, the wines retain what Andrew describes as the unmistakable “imprint” of Gembrook Hill – a character shaped by one of the Yarra Valley’s most distinctive sites and more than four decades of family stewardship.

“Whether it be our sauvignon blanc, our chardonnay (which we do two ways, the bubbles and table wine) or our pinot noir, I think you can see a similar thread that runs through all those wines,” says Andrew. “Whether it be the flavour profile, the lightness of touch, the aromatics; they are wines that are light, but can be quite powerful."

That character begins with the site itself. Gembrook Hill sits in what Andrew describes as a natural amphitheatre, a small, distinctive vineyard in the Upper Yarra that his parents, Ian and June Marks, spent years searching for before they found the right property in 1983.

“They knew what they were looking for. They were looking for a beautiful easterly aspect. They were looking for a slope,” says Andrew. “They spent five years looking for it. It’s no accident that it’s turned out to be such a great site.”

June Marks, alongside her husband, Ian Marks, spent five years searching for the perfect site for Gembrook Hill.

Andrew grew up in and around the vineyard, working weekends among the vines as a teenager before pursuing formal wine studies and building his own career. After spending several years at Penfolds and Seppelt, he found himself drawn back to the family property, returning to Gembrook Hill in 2005. For the next 17 years he worked alongside acclaimed Yarra Valley winemaker Timo Mayer, whose long tenure at the estate helped shape a generation of Gembrook Hill wines.

For Andrew, however, the role has always been one of careful stewardship. The vineyard’s mature, dry-grown vines are a vital part of the story, but he believes the quality of the place itself remains the defining factor. “I feel so lucky to be a custodian of this site, because really, the site does all the work,” he says. “Year in, year out, I trust the vineyard.”

That trust is especially important in seasons like 2025. With climate variability becoming increasingly apparent, Andrew says Gembrook Hill is continually reassessing its approach in the vineyard while holding firm to the qualities that have long defined the wines. “I think vine age is important,” he says. “But I suspect, at the end of the day, the site may be more important.”

Andrew Marks in the vineyard.

Gembrook Hill has long been associated with finesse, elegance and aromatic detail, qualities often linked to the French influence that has shaped the family’s approach. Andrew says France was part of the conversation well before he first travelled there as a teenager on exchange. “My dad was a Francophile before I went to France, and that’s probably what influenced me to go there,” he says.

But while that influence has played a role, the style of the wines is not about imitation. It is about restraint, balance and allowing the vineyard to speak clearly. “It is site foremost,” he says. “We could have thrown a lot more winemaking at the wines, and possibly the style’s changed a little bit over time, but on the whole, the most important key in the wines is the vineyard.”

That philosophy is evident across the 2025 release, particularly in the Pinot Noir range. The I.J.M Pinot Noir, of which only 30 dozen were made in 2025, is one of the most personal wines Andrew makes. It was first made in 2017 following the sudden passing of Andrew’s father, Ian Marks, and serves as a tribute to both the man and the vineyard he established. “The heartbeat of the IJM is three rows of the oldest pinot on the property,” Andrew says. “I was delighted with how that wine has turned out this year.”

Alongside it sits the J.K.M Pinot Noir, named in honour of Andrew’s mother, June, who remains actively involved in the family business. Andrew describes it as the "winemaker's wine", with its whole-bunch and a little bit more new oak. But, he says, "it still relies on a great core of fruit."

Yet Andrew is equally clear that the estate Pinot Noir remains central to the range. “We’ve been making the Gembrook Hill Pinot for 40-odd years,” he says. “I actually think it’s worthy of being on the same pedestal.”

As Gembrook Hill looks ahead, Andrew is focused on the future of the vineyard. New plantings, propagated from some of the estate’s oldest pinot vines and grafted onto rootstocks, may one day form the basis of another expression of the site. For now, the 2025 release stands as a reminder of what has always guided Gembrook Hill: a remarkable vineyard, a light touch in the winery and a belief that the best wines are those that remain faithful to where they come from.

The Gembrook Hill 2025 release wines are available to purchase from May 30. See what Halliday taster Philip Rich had to say about some of the wines below.

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