2023 Gentle Folk Scary Gully Chardonnay

Highly Rated
Skeletal, beautifully crafted Chardonnay from Gareth Belton's Scary Gully vineyard in the Basket Range of the Adelaide Hills.

Price:
Sale price$70.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Perched high up in the wilds of the Adelaide Hills, the Scary Gully vineyard is one of the jewels in Gareth Belton's collection of excellent single sites and one with one of the stronger voices. The 2023 Scary Gully Chardonnay is all about precision and finesse, showcasing Gareth’s philosophy of “less is more” in both the vineyard and the cellar. 

Grown at 620 metres on a ridge in Forest Range, this Chardonnay is shaped by the shallow, rocky soils—quartz rubble, sandstone, and clay—which give the wine a distinctive, almost electric minerality. 

The 2023 vintage was a cool one, pushing ripening later than usual, which has added layers of complexity and nuance. It spent 11 months in French and Austrian oak (just 20% new, enough to add a little texture without taking away from the clarity of the fruit), before resting in tank and bottling. This gentle touch in the winery allows the vineyard to shine through, a true reflection of Gareth’s ethos.

With only 1,343 bottles made, this is a wine for those who appreciate purity and poise. If you’re looking for a Chardonnay that’s all about minerality and restraint, the 2023 Scary Gully Chardonnay is calling your name.

96 points
"Bacon fat, flint, a smidge of reduction with some orchard florals, preserved lemon and ginger spice. There is also a delicious saline thread stitched throughout which casts a refracted gleam over everything; it sets the palate alight. Cantelope, torched grapefruit and green almond. This is a remarkable wine of great texture and length."
- Katrina Butler (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"Super mellow with slashes of brighter citrusy inflection, light, stony mineral qualities and a sense of creaminess and almond savouriness about it all. Green apple, a light spray of pink grapefruit juice, some sour dough elements, preserved lemon and the faintest gingery notes. Beautiful, so well balanced, quiet complexity and just straight up delicious. A ‘mature person wine’, if you get the drift. Just darn lovely."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

96 points - "A little less new oak here than the Ashton and Piccadilly see. And while there is restraint there is also a deep understanding of the fruit at hand, and it shows. Bacon fat, flint, a smidge of reduction with some orchard florals, preserved lemon and ginger spice. There is also a delicious saline thread stitched throughout which casts a refracted gleam over everything; it sets the palate alight. Cantelope, torched grapefruit and green almond. This is a remarkable wine of great texture and length. Job well done to the Gentle Folk team." - Katrina Butler (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Super mellow with slashes of brighter citrusy inflection, light, stony mineral qualities and a sense of creaminess and almond savouriness about it all. Green apple, a light spray of pink grapefruit juice, some sour dough elements, preserved lemon and the faintest gingery notes. Beautiful, so well balanced, quiet complexity and just straight up delicious. A ‘mature person wine’, if you get the drift. Just darn lovely." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Scary Gully has a fine boned line from the shallow rocky soils its grown on high up in Forest Range. The wine is all about the minerality and the hints of lime, fennel seeds and white peach. Its driven, it’s distinct, it’s one of the great sites in the Adelaide Hills, further enhanced by low yields and the coolness of the vintage.

Vineyard: Scary Gully, Forest Range

Planted: 1984

Clones: Entav 84

Elevation: 620m

Aspect: SW

Soils: quartz rubble of siltstone, sandstone and clay

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

Harvest date: 21 April 2023

Bottled: 27 May 2024

Alc: 12.2%

pH: 3.26

TA: 7.1 g/L

Production: 1343 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 The Wine Front
Critic Score 95
96
Alcohol 12%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
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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