Wayfinder Winery: A rising star

The Wilyabrup vineyard, planted in 1994, was purchased in 2018 and underwent a revitalisation. In 2024 their 37 hectares of vines received organic certification.

The parent company is Overstory. Chief executive Paul McArdle has applied his extensive industry experience to create something very special.

The vineyard is managed with sustainable viticultural practices, hand-tended and harvested, with early picking for phenolic rather than sugar ripeness. Their holistic approach enhances biodiversity, nurtures soil biology, and includes integration of animals.

All wines are from the property with winemaking in the capable hands of Andrew Trio. The recently completed winery, based on sustainability and efficiency, incorporates gravity fed 'gentle minimal intervention winemaking'.

It is built below ground and into a dam wall to create thermal stability. The roof, apart from many solar panels, is planted with native grasses. Energy efficiency includes on-site battery storage and will soon include CO² recapturing. Wastewater is treated and returned to the vineyard, as is composted grape marc.

Winery cellar sales have recently opened and a restaurant is set to follow soon. In nearby Dunsborough there is cellar sales at the excellent Wayfinder Restaurant.

A truly wonderful flight of wines to review.

Reviewer's pick

Wayfinder 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, RRP $40

A classic Margaret River Cab Sav from a great vintage. Blackcurrant aromas draw you into this wine. Cedary oak is enticing. Flavours explode with cassis and that regional gravelly earthiness. Elegant yet powerful. Integrated, balanced, supple, smooth and long. A 10-12 year wine.

The Wines

Wayfinder 2025 Rose, RRP $36

Made from Cabernet Sauvignon. Displays a lively soft pink colour. Aromatics fresh and vibrant, yet with a savoury edge. Palate spicy, confectioned, with gentle blackberry flavours. Textural elements from some lees contact. A great aperitif or matched with seafood or tapas. Ticks all the Rose boxes for me.

Wayfinder 2025 Chardonnay, RRP $40

Aromas initially restrained, then slightly savoury, then emerges grapefruit and citrus peel. The palate builds, with flavours of ripe peach. Firm acidity and minerality combine to give a clean long finish. Oak adds but does not dominate. A fruit reliant wine, augmented gently by winemaking prowess. The structural integrity enveloped in this wine will give a few years of wonderful development, resulting in a wine of true desire. Quintessentially Margaret River.

Wayfinder 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, RRP $36

Leaps from the glass with herbal, ethereal, green bean aromas. Shows wonderful pungency. A full-bodied palate displays gooseberry and grapefruit. Lees stirring and six months new oak maturation has added deep herbal flavours, complexity and three to five years of longevity. A great example of this style.

Wayfinder 2023 Malbec, RRP $40

A youthful vibrant purple/red colour. Enticing aromas of violets and blueberry. Flavours of velvety black fruits, dark plum, a touch of aniseed and grippy tannins. Will benefit with another five to seven years in bottle. Easy to see why this grape is enjoying increasing popularity as a varietal.

Wayfinder 2023 Syrah, RRP $40

White pepper on the nose. Flavours are spicy, savoury and a touch gamey. Blackberry and black olive abound. Soft and generous, with silky smooth tannins, supple, and a clean finish. Will reward five to seven years cellaring.

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