2024 Gentle Folk Piccadilly Chardonnay

96 pts
Such finesse and elegance captured here in this Chardonnay from the premium Adelaide Hills sub-region of the Piccadilly Valley.

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Description

Piccadilly is often called the Grand Cru pocket of the Adelaide Hills, and this new single-vineyard release from Gareth Belton shows exactly why. Sourced from the St James Vineyard, just below Mount Lofty, it’s a site that combines altitude, old vines, and complex soils of clay, sandstone and quartz - the perfect recipe for powerful yet refined Chardonnay.

The 2024 vintage was low yielding but beautifully balanced, producing fruit of exceptional concentration and drive. The resulting wine has that signature Piccadilly tension: citrus and white peach at its core, hints of melon and hazelnut, and a fine streak of flinty minerality running through it. There’s weight and generosity, but the acidity keeps everything humming.

Whole-bunch pressed and wild fermented, it spent 11 months in French oak (20% new) before a brief rest in tank ahead of bottling. The oak sits quietly in the background, adding shape and polish without dulling the brightness of the fruit.

This is classic Hills Chardonnay at its most complete - poised, textural and full of energy.

96 points
"This is flashy yet refined, with aromas of struck match, grilled lemons, slate and salted nuts. The palate is textural and mid-weighted, with fine-boned acidity and a plush texture. A refined and pure expression of Piccadilly chardonnay. Drink or hold."
- Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)

Campbell Mattinson

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front 95 Points

This is both a rich release and a release that needs some extra time – to integrate further, as much as anything. It’s going to be stellar in a few years. It tastes of white and yellow peach, tonic water, cedarwood oak and toast, with spearmint, salted chalk and crushed rock characters in the mix too. The mouthfeel of this wine and the power of fruit are both of emphatic note. There’s some glory to this chardonnay.

A new vineyard for us in 2024, the St James vineyard sits just below Mount Lofty in the heart of Piccadilly. True to style, this wine has the classic Piccadilly power and flair along with citrus, melons, ripe fruit a hint of new oak and impressive acid.. a complete package and the reason this part of the hills is often referred to as the Grand Cru section

Vineyard: St James, Piccadilly

Planted: 1996

Clones: 76, 95 & I10V5

Elevation: 525m

Aspect: SE

Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive schist and quartz rocks and rubble

Vinification: Whole bunches were crushed and pressed into to tank for settling overnight before racking off solids to barrel. The wine spent 11 months in French oak, 20% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.

Harvest date: 16 March 2024

Bottled: 23 May 2023

Alc: 13.7%

pH: 3.35

TA: 5.7 g/L

Production: 1843 bottles

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Adelaide Hills
Australian State SA
Feature High Score
Reviewed By James Suckling
The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Cork

Gentle Folk

Gareth and Rainbo Belton are the Gentle Folks, both in name and in sensibility. They are gentle, soulful people, both originally seaweed experts, who turned their hands to farming grapes with an organic and sustainable approach. Today they are crafting some of the most legitimately exciting and exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Adelaide Hills and are firmly rooted in the upper echelon of Australia's lo-fi wine scene.

Their wines cover multiple sub-regions across the Adelaide Hills. There are no additions during the winemaking process, save for a splash of SO2 at bottling to keep the wines pristine as they travel from the Beltons' home to yours. The worlds of fine wine and natural wine collide in the Gentle Folk range. They are beautiful people making increasingly breathtaking wines that you definitely want to check out.

Gareth Belton in one of his vineyards - Basket Range, Adelaide Hills, SA Gentle Folk

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