Commune of Buttons
Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
Available in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, ACT.
It’s been thirty years since the first vines were put in the ground at the Commune of Buttons property in Basket Range. What was previously farming land became home to 3.5 hectares of vines planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Twenty years later, siblings Jasper and Sophie started bottling their own wine and their family’s label was born. Now in its tenth year, Commune of Buttons is one of Australia’s loudest and proudest voices in the natural wine scene. And for good reason; not only is the vineyard managed to the highest standards, but the winemaking is thoughtful and deliberate, born from a decade’s experience with the site.
Jasper Button is now solely responsible for the 4.2 hectares of vines managed by the commune, and the cellar program—curating wines from vine to bottle. The hard yards are put in first in the vineyard, Jasper’s viticultural approach incorporates organic and biodynamic practices; soil regeneration through cultivation and applications of mulch, teas and BD composts and preps; green and regenerative pruning; and dry farming in mature vines. The vineyards are low yielding, averaging out at just six tonnes per hectare. Jasper also sources a small volume of fruit from like-minded, organic growers in the Piccadilly Valley adjacent to Basket Range.
In the cellar, Jasper draws on his experiences in Europe—old-world vinification philosophies with new-world fruit. Vintages spent in Piemonte, Burgundy, Jura and Beaujolais have informed the direction of the Commune of Buttons wines—picking on natural acidity; gentle slow extractions; cool fermentations; and minimal racking form the cornerstone of the stylistic expression. Importantly, all the wines are bottled via gravity onsite, and when it comes to additions, sulphur is only added when absolutely necessary, and levels never exceed 20 ppm. This is obviously only possible thanks to the incredible attention to detail paid in the vineyard and at every point in the cellar.
The resulting wines are vibrant and delicious and speak of site above all else.
Wine
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).
Macerated Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
The Clover site sits at 350 metres elevation and is home to 1.5 hectares of 26-year-old vines planted on clay, sandstone and quartz soils. The ABC site is just one hectare and sits at the same elevation with the same soil composition with slightly older vine material.
Vineyard
Sourced from two sites in the home vineyard; Clover and ABC.
Viticulture
Organic - not certified
Winemaking
The fruit was hand sorted, destemmed and chilled before fermenting for three weeks with gentle, once daily pump-overs. The wine was then pressed to large 1850 litre foudres where it rested for 11 months on full lees.
Basket Town Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Vineyard
The Basket Town Chardonnay is sourced from three sites in the Adelaide Hills: the Kas Sluiter Vineyard in Mylor; the Piccadilly Vineyard owned by Dave Fresci in Carey Gully; and the Commune of Buttons Vineyard in Basket Range.
Winemaking
Each parcel was whole bunch pressed and racked to a mixture of barriques, hogsheads and puncheons. The wines matured for eight months on full lees before being blended and sent to a tank for a further three months maturation.
Eurilla Chardonnay
Variety
Chardonnay
Terroir
Sandy quartz and sandstone soils. South-facing slope at an altitude of 500 metres
Vineyard
The Eurilla Chardonnay was sourced from the Merrowbank Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley, which was planted in 1998 to I10v1 Chardonnay clone.
Viticulture
Organically farmed and dry-grown
Winemaking
The grapes were chilled overnight then whole-bunch pressed and fermented in three-year-old barriques. Élevage was in barrel for eight months on full lees. The wine was then racked to tank where it rested for a further two months before bottling.
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.
Basket Town Red
Variety
Pinot Noir
Vineyard
Summertown, Basket Range and Piccadilly
Winemaking
the fruit was chilled then destemmed with between 10% and 50% whole bunches used depending on the parcel. The ferments were pressed at around 10 days with the wine settled in tank and allowed to pass through malo-lactic fermentations. The elevage was for 6 months in barriques and hogsheads on fine lees. The parcels were blended and aged for a further four months in stainless steel.
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. The clonal mix is MV6 and 115.
Viticulture
Organic, biodynamic (not certified)
Winemaking
Fruit was chilled overnight and sent to 2500 litre fibreglass and 2000 litre Jarrah vat. 90% of the fruit was destemmed and gentle pumpovers were carried out twice daily over three weeks. The wine matured in 1800 litre foudre for 11 months before being bottled.
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.
Syrah
Variety
Syrah
Terroir
Sand over light clay
Vineyard
Sluiter Vineyard
Viticulture
Organic (not certified)
Winemaking
Whole bunches were chilled for three days pre-fermentation before going to three-tonne jarrah fermenters (leaving 80% of the fruit as whole bunch). At the end of fermentation, bunches were jumped on just before pressing to extract colour and tannin.
Mylor Syrah
Variety
Syrah
Terroir
Sand over light clay and the site is sheltered in the shadow of a large hill, ensuring long and slow ripening.
Vineyard
the fruit was sourced from Kas Sluiter's vineyard in Mylor, which is planted to less than a hectare of three clones of Syrah.
Winemaking
The fruit was sorted and chilled overnight before destemming and fermenting for 12 days. Post-fermentation the wine was run off to fibreglass tank where it rested for 10 months on fine lees.
Orders
For all order enquiries please get in touch.