
Commune of Buttons
Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
Available in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, ACT.
The Buttons family vineyard, planted in the early in 1990s, sits in the idyllic, tree-filled Basket Range region of the Adelaide Hills. It’s here, in the epicentre of Australia’s lo-fi wine movement, that siblings Sophie and Jasper have progressed their mother’s early work to create a label that strives for transparency and unpretentiousness. The resulting wines are vibrant and delicious and speak of site above all else.
Returning home from intrepid travels in 2013, Jasper, after meeting (and subsequently working with) Anton van Klopper of Lucy M fame, recognised his vineyard’s latent potential and aligned himself with a hands-off winemaking philosophy. He, along with his sister Sophie, decided to transition to organic farming practices and today the pair shape some of Australia’s most engaging wines.
The focus is mainly on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both of which make up most of the family’s plantings, with Nebbiolo now also in the mix. In the winery, a varying percentage of whole bunches are employed (depending on the vintage) and gentle macerations are championed to preserve clarity. Low levels of sulphur are used to stabilise the wines, which are aged in seasoned barriques and stainless steel. Bottling occurs by hand at the source.
Wine
Bibi Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Red clay over sandstone, 28-year-old vines, dry-grown for five years
Vineyard
Home Vineyard
Viticulture
Organic, biodynamic (not certified)
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed, barrique fermentation, aged for 12 months on lees before three months in stainless steel.
ABC
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Red clay over sandstone, 28-year-old vines, dry-grown for five years
Vineyard
Home Vineyard
Viticulture
Organic, biodynamic (not certified)
Winemaking
Whole-bunch pressed, settled in tank for 12 hours, fermentation in seasoned barriques. Aged on full lees in barrique for seven months (bâtonnage once every two weeks for the first three months).
Pretty Fun Pét-Nat
Variety
Pinot Gris (predominantly)
Terroir
Alluvial, 18-year-old vines
Vineyard
Sparrow Vineyard, Mt Torrens
Viticulture
Organic, biodynamic (not certified)
Winemaking
Seven days on skins, matured in 500 litre puncheons and bottled at 10 gms per litre.
Syrah
Variety
Syrah
Terroir
Alluvial
Vineyard
Sparrow Vineyard, Mt Torrens
Viticulture
Organic (not certified)
Winemaking
80% whole-bunch ferment in open-top jarrah vessels for eight days. Settled in tank, malolactic fermentation then 1g/hL of sulphur added. Racked into barriques with fine lees, and aged for 11 months before bottling.
Gloria
Variety
Pinot Noir
Terroir
Home vineyard
Vineyard
Red clay over sandstone, 28-year-old vines, 350m altitude with an eastern aspect. Dry-grown for five years.
Viticulture
Organic, biodynamic (not certified)
Winemaking
50% hand-destemmed, 50% whole clusters, fermented in 3500 litre oak and 1500 litre jarrah open fermenters in a mille-feuille arrangement. Aged for six months in seasoned French barriques and then four months in stainless steel as a blend.
Kikuya
Variety
Pinot Noir
Terroir
Cemetery: Fertile sandy loam. Deanery: Red clay over sandstone
Vineyard
Cemetery block and Deanery, Piccadilly Valley
Viticulture
Organic (not certified)
Winemaking
All hand-picked. Deanery fruit hand-destemmed 100% and Cemetery Block grapes left as whole clusters. Parcels co-fermented in a seasoned 1500 litre jarrah open fermenter. 2g/hL of sulphur added after malolactic fermentation. Aged for six months in aged French barriques and a further four months in stainless steel as a blend.
Orders
For all order enquiries please get in touch.