Butler Winery, Bloomington IN
Butler Winery, located in the countryside 10 minutes north of Bloomington, Indiana, is small, family owned, and is the 4th oldest winery in Indiana. Jim and Susan Butler first opened for business in downtown Bloomington in 1983, planted their first grapes at their vineyard in 1992, and moved all production there in 1999. Jim and Susan are both extremely enthusiastic about the winery and wine in general and are two of the most personable hosts you could ever meet. My wife and I learned this on our recent visit.
We arrived on a weekday in the fall when it was slow, so we were fortunate to spend much time visiting with Susan. As she guided me through a tasting of a fight of 5 wines, she discussed the vineyard and their family’s history in winemaking.
Jim started working at Oliver Winery in 1976 in the lab and cellar, and a year later became their winemaker, where he stayed until 1982. He left there to start his own winery in 1983. In addition to operating his own winery, Jim and his son, John, wrote a book entitled Indiana Wine: A History (Published by Indiana University Press, 2001). One of Jim’s most outstanding achievements has been his petition to the Federal government in 2006 to designate the unglaciated portion of South Central Indiana as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) called the “Indiana Uplands”. That petition was approved in 2013. One of the benefits of the AVA is that wineries using grapes grown in the Indiana Uplands can use the term “Estate Bottled” on the label.
Susan told us that, only by chance, they found that Butler Winery was referenced in the book Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, including their Origins and Flavours (Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, José Vouillamoz, by Allen Lane (Penguin) in the UK and Ecco (Harper Collins) in the US in October 2012). In that book, Butler Winery is mentioned as a US grower of Chambourcin and Chardonel grape varieties. The Butlers would not have known about this had it not been that a customer brought it to their attention.
The vineyard is a little over 5 acres, where they grow Chardonel, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, Chambourcin, and Norton. Susan mentioned that they have previously had two plantings of Cabernet Franc but lost both to the cold. In addition, they have neighbors Rodney and Nancy Anderson at Foggy Ridge Vineyard who grow Marquette and Traminette for them.
The wines produced by Butler Winery include a good selection of dry, semi-sweet, and sweet wines (both white and red), along with selections of fruit and fortified wines. Many of the wines use 100% estate grown grapes or include them in a blend, while some of the fruit used is sources externally, largely from New York. One of the near-term goals is to expand use of local fruit sources, and increase sustainability practices.
Jim and Susan’s son, Andy Butler and his wife Mabel Ojeda are the winemakers for Butler Winery. They met while living and working in Napa Valley. Andy’s background is in winemaking in different climates including Indiana and California, while Mabel has experience working with a variety of harvests from around the world in locations such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, France, Switzerland, and of course California. They also have a side project of their own called Found Wine Company through which they produce small batches of Mission (a South American variety) and Reisling.
I recently watched an episode of No Dishes Podcast (S5 E8) in which Andy and Mabel discussed Butler Winery, their own background and history, along with wine varieties and production. It is very entertaining and educational.
For my tasting on this visit I sampled the following wines, for which I’ve included their descriptions and a few of (my notes). Check out all of their wines on their website.
- White Select – Crisp & awesome. Great with fish & chicken dishes. A dry, white wine made with Cayuga grapes and aged in stainless steel.
- Seyval Blanc – Fruit forward dry white wine. Notes of pears in the aroma.
- Variant – A dry red wine aged in French oak barrels. A blend of Chambourcin and Marquette. Lingering cherry aftertaste. (This was one of my purchases.)
- 2023 Fusion – A dry red blend of Norton, Marquette, and carbonic macerated Dechaunac. Light yet firm tannin, with earthy texture reminiscent of river stones, and notes of strawberry and raspberry. (This was one of my purchases.)
- Solera [5] – This multi-year blend of estate-grown Chambourcin is barrel aged in French Oak Barrels. A dry and luscious wine that will be the perfect complement to any evening. (This was a blend of 5 vintages.)
As we were preparing to leave, Jim came into the tasting room. After speaking to him for a few minutes, he invited us to see the operations. He took us to the production and storage room, where they also have a small lab.
Jim also showed us their rustic style barrel storage room, which is used for private tastings.
The winery has a patio and covered pavilion that is available for use and used for events. In addition, visitors are welcome to walk among the vineyards and around the pond.
One of the great things about Butler Winery is that they are open during the seasonal months Monday-Saturday from 10am-6pm and Sunday from 12:00-6pm. This made it possible for us to visit due to our travel schedule. Many small wineries are closed several days during the week.
I am very appreciative of the hospitality shown by Jim and Susan. They are truly knowledgeable, engaging, and charming hosts.
Butler Winery; 6200 E. Robinson Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408
