2015 Blue Poles Reserve Cabernet Franc

About
Reviews (1)
Additional Info
Shipping

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.

Blue Poles owner Mark Gifford - making seriously good wines
Margaret River, WA

Reviews

Critic Reviews

94Points

The Wine Front

"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)

Additional Info

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 : 13.1%
Closure : Screw Cap
Drink Until : 2030
Bottle Size : 750ml

Shipping

Shipping & Delivery

We ship primarily with Australia Post. Their fast, easy and reliable delivery is completely FREE for any orders of $150 or more, or just $9 for any orders of $149 or less. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like.

The vast majority of orders are dispatched from our Sydney warehouse on the same or next business day. Estimated delivery time frames can be viewed here. Please include Authority to Leave instructions in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout if you may not be available to sign for your delivery and would like it left at your front door.

Customer pickup is also available for Sydney customers, 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, except on Wednesdays when we are open until 7:30pm. A useful map on how to find us can be viewed here.

Lastly, orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape. Moreover, our heat policy can be view 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..