The first time I met Jo Marsh of Billy Button, I was co-buying wines for Neil Perry’s ex-Rosetta restaurant in Melbourne. I was desperately looking for convincing Australian wines from Italian grape varieties. It was back in 2015, a year after Jo launched her Billy Button wines. How much has the world changed since then?
My point with all this is that Jo’s wines stroked my cords immediately. Indeed, the wines have gone from strength to strength, and I can see more focus and pure varietal expression in her whites today, but above all, Jo is very well-versed across several grape varieties and styles.
When I asked Jo about the unique name and label, she replied: “The flower-lovers among us will know that the Billy Button name belongs to the bouncy native yellow flowers that color the mountain tops of the Alpine Valleys. It’s not a who… it’s the symbol of our region.”
With her husband, Glenn of Shy Susan Wines, she works with predominantly fruit from selected vineyards across the Alpine Valley, excelling with classics like Chardonnay and Shiraz and the so-called “alternative varieties”.
Billy Button The Delinquent Verduzzo 2023
90 pts | $30.00
Ah, Verduzzo! I’ve probably drank only three examples of it my whole life; two were made here in Australia. Nowhere better than North-East Victoria to handle those rare, often over-looked Italian grape varieties. And no one better than Jo Marsh to make a lovely wine out of it. Despite the dry style (Verduzzo is often made in dry, medium, or sweet styles in Italy), I love its golden colour and honeyed character. There is also an herbal, greenish accent, hence the name, which means green. White peach, spicy poached pear, and a considered mid-palate concentration with a salivating acidity. Just yum. Drink now – 2025.
Billy Button The Affable Barbera 2022
95 pts | $35.00
Geez, I could not think of a more appropriate nickname for Barbera. It’s that super friendly kid from the block who always offers you some delicious blood plums, mouth-watering, sweet black cherries, and raspberries. All while sharing those with you, he shovels everything in his mouth and laughs with gusto. Honestly, who doesn’t want to have a friend like that? Drink now – 2027.
