This is a wine that is both fragrant and lifted on the nose, lacey and floral, leading to a beautifully balanced palate with a graceful structure and gorgeous mouthfeel. A beautiful wine from a solid vintage.
Mark Gifford, Owner/Winemaker
About the Wine
Cabernet Franc is stepping out of the shadows. Some of the country's most exciting Bordeaux styled wines are being made from this grape, and to be perfectly franc, we are loving it!
The second release of a Blue Poles Reserve Cabernet Franc is excellent. Only four barrels were produced at the Reserve grade by Mark Gifford and Clive Otto from this vintage, each one exceptional in its own right and bringing something unique to the final Reserve wine. This is a wine of precision and startling refinement, clearly a leading Australian example of the charming variety.
The devout Blue Poles members have snapped up most of it so these are some of the last remaining bottles in the country. As Gary Walsh observed in his 94+ point review, "It’s a great thing to drink even now, though should be better again in a few more years." If you are loving the Franc Revolution, you really need to try this wine, at least once.
About Blue Poles
Blue Poles is the venture of Mark Gifford and Tim Markwell - a pair of experienced geologists who have in the last decade or so created one of the undoubted 'cult hero' labels of Margaret River.
Their red wines are extraordinary not only for their old world charm and quality, but the outrageous value they deliver. Tiny volumes produced but definitely a producer to get to know.
Margaret River, WA
From the Producer
Since 2007 we have selected a Reserve wine from individual varieties at Blue Poles when both the vintage and the variety allows for the wine to be exceptional. As such they represent the best varietal wine that we can produce from our site in the heart of Margaret River.
Vintage
2015 was a warm Margaret River red wine vintage with an early budburst as spring warmed early, and then followed by a warm dry January and February (but with few heat extremes – steady warmth all the way through). In early March the grapes were approaching ripeness 2 weeks in advance of our usual picking dates, but the early start to the vintage meant the grapes were not reduced in flavour or balance. Two major rain events occurred in the middle of March and we picked the Cabernet Franc immediately after both rain periods before any rain had managed to soak into our dry soil, meaning the grapes came off in exceptional shape. A very good year for reds, giving opportunity for solid flavour retention and tannin concentration.
Viticulture
The fruit was severely thinned prior to veraison, and handpicked early one morning. Any grapes that were considered not good “enough to eat” were dropped on the ground. The technical data on these grapes are as below: Cabernet Franc: Picked 19 March 2015 Total weight 3,190 kg (Only 4 Barrels selected for the Reserve) Baume 13.0 pH 3.56 TA 5.10 This was an excellent vintage for our Cabernet Franc in terms of flavour and complexity.
Winemaking
The wine was curated by Clive Otto and Kate Morgan and fermented in a closed vat and continuously “pumped over” to extract colour and tannins softly, with ferment being completed after 13 days. The wine was pressed and placed in French oak barrels and stored for 22 months. This wine was made by tasting and re-tasting every barrel of wine that we had produced from the 2015 vintage and came across a combination of 4 barrels that was simply exemplary. This is the second Reserve Cabernet Franc wine bottled at Blue Poles and it was a wine that continues the quality of our excellent debut.
Food Match
When opening a bottle consider a meal with game as supporting the experience – roasted deer or duck would be perfect.
Blend : Cabernet Franc (100%)
ABV : 13.10%
Closure : Screw Cap
Drink Until : 2030
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"It looks a little light and flighty at first, not in a bad way mind you, but it certainly builds richness and weight as it stands in the glass. Raspberry and boysenberry, biscuit and baking spice, a sniff of sweet herb and grass, perhaps some ground coffee and violet in there too. Medium bodied, vibrant and succulent, bright raspberry pip acidity, spicy earthy oak, gravelly tannin, and a well defined finish of fine length. Linear and refined, the tannin pleasingly assertive on exit. It’s a great thing to drink even now, though should be better again in a few more years." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order over $149 or more, or just $10 for any orders of $149 or less. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack!
Sydney Metro orders will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by midnight 23rd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Sydney Metro here.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Fri). We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by 10am 22nd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here.
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Australia Wide Deliveries outside of Sydney and Melbourne metro are all delivered with Australia Post's eParcel wine delivery service. They pick up from us at 12pm Monday through Friday. When your order has been dispatched you'll receive tracking information to your email. Unfortunately with the complications of Covid and expected Christmas surge Australia Post are being extremely vague about delivery times. You will need to have your order placed before midnight 10th of December if you want to ensure it’s there for Christmas.
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Warehouse Pickup is available at our Sydney warehouse at 3 Fig, Ultimo, 2007. You are not able to browse our warehouse shelves and we are not licenced to sell over the counter, so please place your order online or over the phone before arriving. Feel free to call on arrival on 1300 668 385 and we can bring your order out to your vehicle.
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Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
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I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. More of a warehouse/office. We do however offer a Click & Collect option from our warehouse in Ultimo, Sydney. Our warehouse address for Click & Collect is: 3 Fig St, Ultimo, 2007/ Please make sure you have placed your order before arriving at the warehouse
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
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