About
"Prior to winegrowing, we were both marine scientists, specialising in phycology (the study of marine plants). In our PhD studies (at different universities), we studied the biodiversity of different seaweed groups and how they are related. It was super fun and the discovery and naming of new species a big highlight, as well as the top notch collaborators we each worked with. A love of wine, food and growing things eventually drew us away from academic life. The Gentle Folk story began in 2012 after spending a lot of our free time in Basket Range helping and hanging out with James Erskine (Jauma), Alex Schulkin (The Other Right) and other early pioneers of the Basket Range wine movement. Our winemaking journey started with just three barrels of wine in 2013 from the Broderick's Basket Range Vineyard, and a dream. Over the years we have been lucky enough to travel parts of the world learning about winemaking and growing, have acquired a lot more vineyard area as well as built relationships with some amazing growers in the Adelaide Hills. We currently produce between six and seven thousand cases annually, employ five lovely humans and farm eight hectares of vines. A kid (Leonard) appeared somewhere in the middle! We hope you have an opportunity to try and enjoy our wines no matter where on earth you find yourself." - Gareth & Rainbo Belton - Owners, Growers and Winemakers
Gentle Folk Vineyard Map
Single Vineyard Releases
2022 Ashton Chardonnay
The fifth release from our 0.8 ha block in Ashton where the northerly aspect and deep clay soils result in a wine with boldness and texture. It’s not just about the bold flavours though, there is a beautiful stone fruit character this vintage and a great acid line from a cool growing season.
Vineyard: Ric’s, Ashton
Planted: 1996
Clones: I10V1
Elevation: 500m
Aspect: N
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive schist and quartz rubble.
Vinification: Whole bunches were crushed and pressed to tank for settling overnight before racking off heavy 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: 14 March 2022
Bottled: 26 May 2023
Alc: 13.1%
pH: 3.39
TA: 5.9 g/L
Production: 130 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 17 August 2023
"Gareth Belton grows grapes and makes his wines and takes a very considered approach to it all. One hectare of vines in Ashton, Adelaide Hills, which has been farmed by Gentle Folk since 2017.
A juiciness, a saline character, some green almond in the mix of bright, red apple fruitiness, has a lick of white balsamic in the mix, lifting the wine prettily. Scents and flavours match each other in descriptors, the texture has a nice slosh but also talc-like powdery chew. An exciting expression, needing time to flesh out a little, but in good stead."
94 Points
2022 Piccadilly Chardonnay
Old vine Chardonnay from the heart of Piccadilly, where the wines are renowned for their power and flair. No doubt about it with this wine, it’s all lemon citrus, struck match, ripe fruit and impressive acid...a complete package and the reason this part of the Hills is often referred to as the Grand Cru section.
Vineyard: Udy’s Rd, Piccadilly
Planted: 1983
Clones: I10V1
Elevation: 520m
Aspect: W
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, 25% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.
Harvest date: 24 March 2022
Bottled: 25 May 2023
Alc: 13.5%
pH: 3.35
TA: 5.8 g/L
Production: 190 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 17 August 2023
"To be released in August sometime. The rise and rise of Gentle Folk is something else. All grown up. Serious wines. Mostly produced from vines planted in the earlyish 1980s.
Crisp and clean with a lilt of savouriness, just so and precise, very minerally, appley, like a bite into a fresh Granny Smith apple. Exceptional length and sense of tension. It’s a seriously excellent chardonnay in a vibrant, tightly packed vogue."
96 Points
2022 Scary Gully Chardonnay
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
Soil: quartz rubble of siltstone, sandstone and clay
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 and Austrian oak, 20% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.
Harvest date: 27 March 2022
Bottled: 26 May 2023
Alc: 13.1%
pH: 3.34
TA: 6.0 g/L
Production: 180 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 17 August 2023
"Scary Gully is actually a pretty scary gully, well, at least for the vertiginous. A very unique site in the Adelaide Hills, tended by Gentle Folk for some years now.
Chewy chardonnay, lots of ripe apple and cashew, ginger, wet fern notes and licks of saline minerally things. Lots of flavour and character here, not big or anything, but there’s heaps going on and the wine feels exciting for its distinct savouriness and general sense of minerality. Quite a bit of bandwidth in texture, fleshy almost but for a feathery chalkiness holding things in. It feels serious too. Very likeable."
95 Points
2022 Monomeith Pinot Noir
One of the great vineyards of the Adelaide Hills, and arguably the coolest. Monomeith sits in its own very cool valley on the top ridge of Ashton and the vines benefit from an east-west orientation, where part of the vineyard gets the morning sun and the other half the afternoon sun. This results in a wine with great depth, complexity and all the classic aromatics of great Pinot noir.
Vineyard: Monomeith, Ashton
Planted: 1996
Clones: MV6, 777, 114 and 115
Elevation: 530m
Aspect: E and W
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive quartz
Vinification: 20% whole cluster open top fermentation for two to three weeks followed by 8 months in oak, 15% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.
Harvest date: 6 April 2022
Bottled: 16 May 2023
Alc: 13.4%
pH: 3.8
TA: 5.8 g/L
Production: 220 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 17 August 2023
"An older site and one that has long been in the stable of Gentle Folk’s vineyards.
Sappy, savoury leaning pinot noir showing off red cherry, pomegranate, sage leaf, fennel and white pepper. Nice flesh and then tightening chew in texture, a glossiness as well, silky tannins that tighten the wine to squeaky. Refreshing acidity and blood orange tang. Vibrant expression."
93 Points
2022 Scary Gully Pinot Noir
The Pinot noir at Scary Gully is one of the highest and oldest in the Adelaide Hills and sits upon a ridge of sandstone and quartz. The 2022 vintage ended up being even cooler and later than the 2021 growing season, so again we had some serious farming challenges on the steep slopes in the wet! However, the low yielding, cool and slow ripening season has resulted in wines that havea depth and tension we rarely achieve in the Hills. It is no doubt that the 2022 vintage will go down as one of the great years for Pinot noir.
Vineyard: Scary Gully, Forest Range
Planted: 1984
Clones: MV6, D5V12, GM8 and Pommard
Elevation: 620m
Aspect: SE and SW
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive quar tz.
Vinification: 20% whole cluster open top fermentation for two to three weeks followed by 8 months in oak, 15% new, before racking to tank for three months and bottled.
Harvest date: 26 March 2022
Bottled: 16 March 2023
Alc: 13.3%
pH: 3.64
TA: 5.8 g/L
Production: 220 dozen
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 17 August 2023
"Red cherry, raspberry, moss and brambles to sniff on. Similar to taste, a red fruited focus but some dried herb, anise, and that sense of ‘moss’ in flavour. Chalky rub over the juiciness of the wine, a fine, feathery web of tannin and a savoury, pepper and poppy seed character to finish. So charming, great structure and texture. A winner."
94 Points
2022 Father’s Milk Pinot Noir
There were some extremely low yields in the Piccadilly in 2022 and on the day we picked the fruit for Father’s Milk at Monomeith, we only got a bin of fruit. The Ochotas had the same result from their Gamay block in Piccadilly and after a quick catch up (over a few wines), we had a lightbulb moment to just blend them and make an Adelaide Hills Passe-tout-grain. Super bright red fruit and crunchy tannins and acidity from the use of whole bunches in a cooler year. Unique, yes, enjoyable, hell yes.
Vineyard: Virgara, Piccadilly (Gamay) and Monomeith, Ashton (Pinot noir).
Planted: 1998 (Virgara)/ 1996 (Monomeith)
Clones: MV6, 777, 114 and 115
Elevation: 520m (Virgara), 530m (Monomeith)
Aspect: N (Virgara), E/W (Monomeith)
Soil: Light loamy clay over sandstone with extensive quartz.
Vinification: 100% whole cluster open top fermentation for two weeks before basket pressing to two neutral French oak puncheons for 11 months and bottled.
Harvest date: 6 April 2022
Bottled: 16 March 2023
Alc: 12.5%
pH: 3.8
TA: 6.4 g/L
Production: 90 dozen
(Image: Gareth and Rainbo Belton - Gentle Folk Wine / www.gentlefolk.com.au)