2016 Blue Poles Reserve Merlot
Margaret River, WA
Top flight Merlot by one of the country's best exponents of the variety.
$40.00
Out of Stock
About The Wine
Mark Gifford and his Blue Poles label are one of the true dark horses of Margaret River. As Campbell Mattinson put it, "It does things its own way; it’s a renegade of the classic varieties."
The range of Saint Emilion-inspired wines produced by Gifford are some of the finest value in WA. Here we have something quite rare from Mark and Tim. The Reserve Merlot is a wine only made in tiny quantities from the very best vintages.
This is a Merlot built with structure and poise, this release is set for a long sleep in the cellar or for a big glass and plenty of air if you drink it young. Few winemakers in the country take this variety as seriously as Mark Gifford, and this is his most articulate expression from this vintage.
As Gary Walsh noted in his 94+ point review, this Merlot is "Medium-bodied, sophisticated and elegant in style..."
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
A Bordeaux variety that can be blended easily with cabernet grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon in the Medoc, and Cabernet Franc in Saint Emilion and satellites), or made as a separate wine as seen in Pomerol. It grows best where the soil is iron rich, gravelly and containing a percentage of clay to hold some moisture – this is an excellent description of the south east corner of the vineyard and where 2ha of these vines were planted.
Merlot is a capricious vine and has issues with fruit set, and when ripening, due to its thin skin, it can be subject to rots and mildews if the end of vintage weather is not near perfect. The cool setting and south facing aspect of the slopes where the merlot is planted gives Blue Poles every opportunity to have this grape reach maximum ripeness without the loss of fruit flavours due to heat stress.
Blend : Merlot (100%)
ABV : 13.80%
Closure : Screw cap
Drink Until : 2028
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"Red and black fruits, sage and cedar, some sweet tobacco and earthy things, spice too. Medium-bodied, sophisticated and elegant in style, vibrant fruit with earthy bass tones, chewy open-weave tannin, earth and bright red fruit on a lively finish. Really good." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
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