2025 Gentle Folk Chardonnay

94 pts
A blend of all the Chardonnay sites under the Gentle Folk banner. A gorgeous wine with a natural flow.

Price:
Sale price$45.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 3 units left
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Description

Increasingly, Chardonnay is becoming the headline act in the Gentle Folk range. Gareth Belton is producing some of the most thrilling examples in the Adelaide Hills, and this 2025 release might just be the most complete version of his "Village" blend yet.

This wine is a composite picture of the region, sourced from Gareth’s top sites across the Hills, including Ashton, Scary Gully, Summertown and Piccadilly. The vines range from 5 to 32 years old, digging into complex soils of sandstone, schist and quartz.

While previous releases have sometimes been tight and racy in their youth, the 2025 is noticeably richer and more generous. The fruit weight is substantial this year, and the oak integration is seamless right out of the gate.

Vinified with 100% whole clusters and aged for nine months in a mix of French and Austrian oak (20% new), it delivers exceptional flavour development. There is still that signature racy backbone of acidity, but it is wrapped in a layer of flesh and texture that makes it stunning to drink immediately. It is complex, it is settled, and it is seriously good.

94 points
"Sumptuous wine with cut and thrust, plenty of flavour, cooling saline minerality... Packs in lots of character and then has a high refreshment factor, is the gist. Complexity written into the thread of the tasting/conversation/drinking. So darn gulpable too. Wicked drink. Great chardonnay."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

94 points - "Sumptuous wine with cut and thrust, plenty of flavour, cooling saline minerality, light toasty spice, salted cashew, preserved lime, juicy red apple, some just-ripe stone fruits; very precise in its way but has a nice slapped bass line of funky stuff too. Packs in lots of character and then has a high refreshment factor, is the gist. Complexity written into the thread of the tasting/conversation/drinking. So darn gulpable too. Wicked drink. Great chardonnay." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews
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J
Juliette B.
Best Chardonnay at this price point

Perfect balance of everything a Chardonnay should be.

O
Oliver W.
Delicious chardonnay

Love the producer's story and love the wine even more.

Vineyards: Ashton, Scary Gully, Summertown, Basket Range, Charleston, Piccadilly & Lenswood

Vine age: 5-32 years

Clones: G9V7, i10v1, 95 & 96

Elevation: 400-500m

Aspects: Various

Soils: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive schist & quartz rubble.

Vinification: 100% whole cluster pressed and settled in tank overnight. Racked to a mixture of French and Austrian barriques, puncheons and foudre for nine months, 20% new.

Alc: 13.0%

Production: 770 dozen

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Adelaide Hills
Australian State SA
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Critic Score 94
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Screw Cap

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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