Gentle Folk Pinot Noir 2025

Pinot Noir from high-elevation Adelaide Hills vineyards across Monomeith, Uraidla, Piccadilly, Summertown, Little Creek, Basket Range, Scary Gully and Charleston — loamy clay over sandstone strewn with schist and quartz, vines 5 to 37 years old. Hand-picked organic fruit, three weeks in open fermenters at 80% destemmed with a whole-cluster inclusion, then eight months in French oak (15% new) and bottled unfined and unfiltered with just a splash of SO2. Bright red cherries and raspberries with a whisper of herbs and forest-floor earthiness over a core of dark cherry and spice — light, elegant, juicy drinking with soft tannins.

This is the wine Gentle Folk used to call Village, and it is still the centre of what they do. The vineyards sit between 500 and 620 metres, high ground for South Australia. Nine clones go into the blend, from the old Australian MV6 and Pommard to the Dijon numbers 114, 115, 777 and 667.

Most ferments run at about a fifth whole cluster. A few barrels are fully whole-bunch with a shorter soak, and those add the lift. The oak is a mix of barriques and puncheons.

The 2025 is darker and plusher than this wine has been for a few years, after a run of cooler seasons. It carries more weight and texture without losing its honest, unfussy feel. A slight chill on the bottle suits it, and there is no need to wait.