Commune of Buttons Eurilla Chardonnay 2022
The Wine
The Eurilla Chardonnay is the first wine to come from the Merrowbank Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley from the Commune of Buttons. This small parcel of 0.7Ha was leased in 2020, and for the last 3 years we have been working to rehabilitate and convert the vineyard to organic viticulture. The vineyard was planted in 1998 and is all I10v1 Chardonnay. The soils are sandy clay with quartz and hardened sandstone. Perched on a south facing slope the altitude is 500 and is at the southern end of the valley. The vine density is 5,000 vines to the hectare and is now dry-grown. The vineyard this year produced 2 tonnes of chardonnay and was picked on the 4th of April.
The grapes where chilled overnight then whole-bunch pressed and allowed to settle overnight in tank. The juice was then barrel fermented in 3-yearold barriques and elevage on full lees was for 8 months in these barrels. The wine was then racked to tank and aged for another 2 months with bottling in January 2023.
Eurilla has a generous mid-palate of cashews and white peach, there is fruit weight, but this is underlined by minerality and chalk with quenching natural acidity.
The Details
Variety - Chardonnay
Country - Australia
Region - South Australia
Sub Region - Adelaide Hills
Extra - Cork
Year - 2022
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker 
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. IMBIBO
