It’s exactly a decade since I visited Margaret River in Western Australia, and I long to get back there. It’s a beautiful destination for its land and seascapes, white sandy beaches and fabulous Mediterranean climate. Add in the charming town of Margaret River with its tremendous foodie scene and friendly locals, then the icing on the cake is that Margaret River is home to some of the country’s finest wine estates.
I had visited Voyager Estate back on that 2009 trip through the region, and reported estate manager Steve James telling me he was working towards a “more organic based vineyard.” That ambition has been fully realised, as Voyager is now 100% organically farmed and in the process of the entire estate being certified organic. Steve is still at the helm as he has been for two decades, working closely with owner Michael Wright, who recognised the viticultural value of the land surrounding the cellar door, first planted in 1978.
There are now five separate but adjoining vineyard sites, all planted on well drained gravel soils. Off-setting has allowed a carbon-neutral operation, but this and environmentally sustainable practices are close to Michael and Steve’s hearts, especially as they report that the grape harvest is 3-4 weeks earlier than 15 years ago.
Cabernet Sauvignon is widely regarded as the Margaret River region’s best grape variety, and is a mainstay of the portfolio here too. But Chardonnay also exels on this terroir, and is a variety causing excitement across the region and world-wide as I reported last year.
Below are my notes on the latest releases of Voyager Estate’s Cabernet and Chardonnay for sale in the UK, though they also produces oak-aged, Graves-style Sauvignon-Semillon blends (which are also synonymous with Margaret River), as well as Chenin Blanc and Syrah.
An intriguing range appears under the ‘Project Wines’ banner, featuring wines made in concrete eggs, ‘Pet Nat’ styles of undisgorged sparkling wines, ‘Cane cut’ late-harvest sweet wines, and several other small batches of more experimental wines. It’s a fine estate producing beautifully pitched wines, and worthy of attention.
The Wines
Voyager Estate
Stevens Road
Margaret River
Western Australia 6285
Phone +61 8 9757 6354