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 third release of a Blue Poles Reserve Cabernet Franc is excellent. 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 93+ point review, "It’s a hard act to get a straight Cab Franc going, but when it’s good, it’s often very good." If you are loving the Franc Revolution, you really need to try this wine, at least once.
About Blue Poles
Blue Poles is the combined 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.
The vast majority of the Blue Poles range is produced from a single block in the Wallcliff sub-region of Margaret River. While Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate the plantings, other rarely seen varieties for the region also find a home including Fiano, Teroldego and Marsanne.
Their red wines are extraordinary, not only for their old world charm and quality but the outrageous value they deliver. There are only ever tiny volumes and these wines are scarcely available outside the Blue Poles mailing list.
Margaret River, WA
From The Producer
Known as a Bordeaux variety, and grown predominantly in Saint Emilion with small percentages in the Medoc, it is also grown in the Loire Valley where it is the sole red grape. This grape variety has been only a minor variety planted in Australia due to the success of Cabernet Sauvignon and the supposed “hardness” of this variety when made singularly. It is a variety that grows well in the clay rich sections of Bordeaux and underlying the gravels in the southern section of our vineyard is deep kaolin clays that provide perfect support to this variety.
One hectare was planted adjacent to the Merlot, so it too has first use of the southerly sea breeze in summer, keeping the vines cooler and extending the growing season. Cabernet Franc is a very strong growing vine in Margaret River, and with small tough skinned berries the vine is less affected by diseases and mildew pressures than other varieties.
Blend : Cabernet Franc (100%)
ABV : 13.80%
Closure : Screw cap
Drink Until : 2028
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"Red and blackcurrant, slight prune note, mint, pencils and spice. Medium-bodied, grip and grainy tannin, slightly nippy acidity, attractive perfume of dried herbs on a long insistently tannic finish. Needs a couple of years to settle, I feel, but potential here." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
Sydney Metro orders in the Pink Zone will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Orders in the Blue Zone will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Everything outside these zones will be delivered by Australia Post.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up at 12pm from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri). Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm and delivered on Thursday or Friday. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Australia Wide Deliveries To the rest of Australia we use Australia Post. The Australia Post Collection Truck picks up orders from our Sydney warehouse every weekday at midday. If your order is placed before 12pm we’ll get it on the truck that day. Delivery times vary considerably with Australia Post and unfortunately there is no Express Delivery Option for wine (because it is fragile and heavy). PLEASE NOTE that we are currently seeing significant delays in the Australia Post delivery network. Strict government health and safety requirements and very high parcel volumes are causing significant backlogs at the main NSW and VIC sorting facilities. Orders are still arriving safe and sound but you may notice slower delivery times and less frequent scanning updates than usual.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
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.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
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. Just an a warehouse/office. We occasionally do events however, so sign up to our newsletter or follow us on instagram to stay in the loop.
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
Sign up for the latest news & special offers
No spam, just the good stuff!