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Description
The Blue Poles Reserve Allouran Deux Ecus is the culmination of over two decades of dedication, passion, and a bit of rebellious spirit. Born from a plot of land that started as nothing more than an empty paddock in Rosa Brook, the Blue Poles vineyard has grown into one of Margaret River’s most revered producers of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Founded in 2001 by two geologists, Mark Gifford and Tim Markwell, Blue Poles Vineyard is named after the iconic Jackson Pollock painting, "Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952." Much like that groundbreaking work, which was initially met with controversy and later hailed as a masterpiece, this wine embodies the pursuit of free thought, pushing boundaries in both style and substance. The vineyard's meticulous focus on site-specific expression—thanks to its laterite gravels, cooler micro-climate, and carefully managed yields—produces wines that are complex, honest and a direct reflection of the land itself.
The Deux Ecus is crafted from Blue Poles’ best barrels—two of Merlot and one of Cabernet Franc. This reserve edition, only the second ever made, showcases the vineyard’s full potential. It’s a wine that thrives on layers of inky, dark fruit—plum and blackberry—balanced by earthy undertones of cedar and star anise. But it’s the structure that sets this wine apart. Built to age, it offers a firm tannin backbone with just the right amount of acidity to preserve its elegance over time.
The 2022 Deux Ecus represents the pinnacle of Blue Poles’ winemaking, a true testament to their vision of producing world-class, old-world style wines with a distinctly Margaret River flair. With just tiny volumes available, this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of Blue Poles history.
95+ points
"It’s a strong wine, and I don’t mean in alcohol, but rather in structure, in that it’s sinewy, firm in tannin and acidity, with a fair amount of high quality oak in tow. Blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry, tobacco and cedar, baking spice, with a flicker of mint and sweet grassiness, and dried flower perfume. It has concentration of fruit, pulls quite savoury with more of that tobacco, and black olive, offers a firm redcurrant crunch to acidity, firm gravelly and grainy tannin, nutmeg and iodine, and pulls long and fresh on the finish. Lots of crunch and energy, and intensity too. I want to say something poetic, like it runs on rails of steel, but there you have it. It’s an outstanding wine regardless."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
