Our Wines
2010 Reserve Merlot
$35/bt
Description
The
2010 Reserve Merlot is a deep garnet / black with a nose full of red fruits,
lifted by sweet tobacco and spice. The palate is full, rich and generous,
giving in to a delicious length.
A wine that has the ability to age 5-15 years, but by
drinking it now you can be assured of a perfect glass of red.
If drunk with food (which is one
of life's greater pleasures), we certainly recommend the classic combination of
roast beef with all the trimmings with this wine. Other combinations that
should delight include any game bird (use truffle oil for basting), ox-tail in a
reduced stock, and even classic Hungarian goulash.
Sealed
under screwcap to ensure the wine made by us arrives to you as we intended it
to.
Awards
19 November 2012 - Winner Best
Merlot at the 2013 Good Wine Guide Awards (The Age & SMH)
.
Nick Stock - This
demonstrates just how alluring and seductive great Merlot can be, offering
floral perfume and pristine ripeness, something that most varietal merlot wines
struggle to achieve. Beautiful attention to detail in the vineyard is
proudly on display here. 94 Points
Reviews
Gary Walsh,
www.winefront.com.au
“Raspberry, red currant, a slight gum
leaf and stalky top note (or perfume if you’d rather), tobacco and
lovely oak – discreet and savoury – perfect. It’s fresh and medium
weight with clear fruit definition, some gentle herbal characters,
and a dynamic and vibrant feel. Shape and control — bend and stretch
— this is a well toned wine with bright acid and firm dry tannin.
More strict than the plump 2008, but certainly longer and finer. A
re-visit 48 hours later revealed a little more earth and truffle,
but also some chocolate and cherry richness – still fresh and
showing no sign of tiring. In the long run, I suspect a better wine
than the 2008, though it needs some time to strut its stuff. Touch
and go for 94 points. Wait for it.”
Rated : 93+ Points
Tasted : Jul10
Alcohol : 13.2%
Price : $35
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2014 - 2020+
Jeremy Pringle,
www.winewilleatitself.com
“Could this be the best Blue
Poles Reserve Merlot yet? In time I reckon the answer will be yes.
It’s a touch introverted at the moment but time in the decanter (or
a second day of tasting) and it’s happy to converse. A long stint in
the cellar is what it really deserves though.
Purity of fruit along with the
most tastefully pitched chocolate and pencil shaving oak. Red toned
highlights; blacker, earthier depths. I’m seeing a lot of restraint
and composure in 2010 reds from the Margaret River and this is no
exception. Leaf and tobacco add to the refined feel. Medium bodied,
unforced, structured and long. Exciting Australian Merlot.
Excellent.”
Technical Details
This
is our third Reserve wine made at Blue Poles, and as such represents the best
wine that we can produce from our site in the heart of Margaret River.
2010 was a warm Margaret River red wine vintage with dry spring conditions,
leading into a dry and hot early summer ensuring good flowering conditions.
The conditions in summer were warm and dry but cooled slightly over February /
March ensuring that the grapes were perfectly ripe and concentrated in flavour
due to the longer season. An excellent year for the region, though
harvests were reduced due to very hot conditions in January causing some sunburn
to the exposed grapes.
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:
Merlot:
Picked:
23 March 2010
Total weight: 7,009kg
Baume:
13.4
pH:
3.36
TA:
6.1
The wine was fermented in a closed vat and
continuously "pumped over" to extract colour and tannins softly, with ferment
being completed after 10 days. The wine was pressed and placed in French
oak barrels and stored for 19 months.
The wine was made by tasting and re-tasting every barrel of
wine that we produced from the 2010 vintage and came across a combination of 5
barrels that was simply exemplary. The structure of the wine, the poise
and the tautness of all the wine elements were critical in the selection process
- and when combined prior to bottling we realised that we have managed to
continue this fine vein of wines under this label. Nearly 100% Merlot
(there is a touch of cabernet Franc), this wine mimics the wines of Pomerol in
Bordeaux much o our delight.
