Description
Gareth’s 2023 Chardonnays are the standout wines of this release and possibly the best he’s ever made. Each vineyard has its own unique fingerprint, yet all are marked by a stunning combination of purity, tension, and drive.
The Piccadilly Chardonnay brims with citrus and melon, wrapped in a fine mineral frame, while the Ashton Chardonnay offers richer stone fruit notes without sacrificing its acid backbone. But the real star is the Scary Gully Chardonnay—a wine of electric energy and minerality, with layers of lime, fennel, and white peach. It’s a wine that demands attention and rewards it in spades.
- 2023 Gentle Folk Piccadilly Chardonnay
- 2023 Gentle Folk Scary Gully Chardonnay
- 2023 Gentle Folk Ashton Chardonnay
2023 Gentle Folk Piccadilly Chardonnay
If you know Gentle Folk, you’ll know winemaker Gareth Belton doesn’t do anything by halves. The 2023 Piccadilly Chardonnay is a beautiful reflection of his approach—a wine that speaks to both the land and the wild weather the Adelaide Hills threw at him.
This Piccadilly Chardonnay comes from some of the oldest vines in the region, planted in 1983. The site, just off Udy’s Rd, sits high at 470 metres, and Gareth refers to it as his “Grand Cru” patch of Piccadilly. It’s a vineyard known for its muscle, but in this vintage, we see something leaner, more tightly wound. Blame (or thank!) the cooler growing season for a wine that’s all about energy and tension.
Lemon citrus, ripe melon, and a zing of acidity keep this Chardonnay fresh and vibrant, but underneath it all, there’s a core of flinty minerality that keeps things serious. Gareth doesn’t like to fuss with the winemaking—he prefers to let the vineyard speak for itself—so this wine spent 11 months in French oak, just enough time to round out the edges without overwhelming the fruit.
It's a tightly wound Chardonnay built on flint and minerality. There is plenty of flavour there but it's the tension and drive of this wine that sets this cuvee apart. The Piccadilly Chardonnay is another excellent and an exciting offering from Gareth Belton.
95+ points
"Soft, gentle, curiously concentrated in a way with almond, just-ripe pineapple, nectarine, red apple and some natural yoghurt characters. It’s very relaxed and yet has a core of very briny, mineral-charged acidity with a long, trailing, pleasingly bitter finish. A light dusting of cinnamon spice amongst all this. A succulence and freshness even with the modest sense of generosity. This should mature spectacularly too."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Gentle Folk Scary Gully Chardonnay
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.
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)
2023 Gentle Folk Ashton Chardonnay
When it comes to crafting Chardonnay, Gareth Belton has truly hit his stride, and the 2023 Ashton Chardonnay is a shining example of his laid-back yet meticulous approach. This is the sixth release from his tiny 0.8-hectare block in Ashton, where the vines soak up the sun from a northerly aspect and dig deep into clay-rich soils mixed with quartz and schist. Of the three, this is the Chardonnay that has a bit more flesh than Gareth’s other single-vineyard offerings, though still decidedly on the on the elegant end of the Chardonnay spectrum.
The 2023 vintage was a cool one, which has given this wine a wonderful balance. There’s an immediate hit of stone fruit—think juicy peaches and nectarines—backed by a fine, zingy acidity that keeps it fresh and lively. It’s all about texture and depth here, but without the weight that sometimes bogs down richer Chardonnays. Gareth’s approach is simple: whole bunch pressed, settled overnight, then left undisturbed in French and Austrian oak (20% new) for 11 months to let the vineyard speak for itself.
This is a Chardonnay for those who appreciate nuance—a wine that shows a bit of generosity now but will only become more complex with age. With just 932 bottles produced, it’s a rare gem, offering a snapshot of what makes Ashton such a special site in the Adelaide Hills. If you’re looking for a wine that marries bold flavours with finesse, the 2023 Ashton Chardonnay has your name on it.
93 points
"Quite waxy and yet vibrant and fresh, a kind of cumquat sweet-sour going on with light marzipan notes, vanilla cream, faint cinnamon and clove and general sweet spice elements, a lick of corn and light butter in there too. It’s a meditative wine, a touch of ripeness in the mix of things that sort of pokes out or rolls over the fresh, mandarin-like acidity. It’s one that the flavour hounds will find comely, with a general open weave and pulpy softness as it rolls on. Lots of charm."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
| Price Bracket | $51 to $100 |
| Type | White |
| Variety | Chardonnay |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Adelaide Hills |
| Australian State | SA |
| Feature |
Natural/Lo-Fi |
| Reviewed By |
The Wine Front |
| Size | 13 |
| Vintage | 2023 |
Gentle Folk
Gareth Belton in one of his vineyards - Basket Range, Adelaide Hills, SA Gentle Folk
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