Voyager Estate

Originally Freycinet Vineyard – first planted in 1978 – Voyager Estate was acquired by farmer, businessman and teetotaller Michael Wright in 1991 who set about transforming it into an award-winning regional showpiece producing wines that embody excellence and the style for whichMargaret River is renowned. The sumptuous Cape Dutch style architecture, remarkable underground wine cellar, beautifully manicured rose gardens and extraordinary attention to detail in the winery and vineyard illustrate a very strong commitment to making wines of great personality and distinction. General Manager, daughter Alex Wright, brings together the right balance of management expertise, environmental care and marketing flair to maintain these standards in all of Voyager Estate’s dealings.

Winners of the 2007 Margaret River Viticultural Excellence Award, Viticulturist Steve James and his team follow a low-input/organic philosophy in the vineyards. Working closely with Winemaker Cliff Royle the emphasis is on sustainable practices that improve fruit quality with minimal environmental impact. The vines are located on gravely loams over clay with excellent moisture-holding capacity and are all trellised on a vertical shoot positioning system.

One of the earliest harvests on record began with the Clone 95 Chardonnay on 7 February 2007. The fruit was in exceptional condition and displayed the bright, vibrant crisp fruit flavours typically found at Voyager Estate. The reds followed in March, with a few 38 degree days in the early part of the month speeding up the ripening process. Again harvest was carried out in superb conditions and the season produced outstanding red wines across the board. The Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with some Merlot and Petit Verdot and vinification focuses on tannin management. All components are fermented in open or upright fermenters with regular pump-overs or plunging. Fermentation is conducted with small amounts of the 796 Bordeaux yeast strain at temperatures kept below 30ºC. Ferments take as long as 14 days before the wine is either pressed or left on skins for further texture and tannin modification. All the wine is inoculated for malolactic fermentation in tank and then transferred to barrel. The wood used at Voyager Estate is 100% French oak, tight-grained central forest and by using 50% new and 50% two-year-old barriques, the wine achieves the required balance. The wine spends 24 months in barrel with regular topping and racking before spending approximately 18 – 24 months in bottle prior to release.

There is a real feeling of permanency and place at Voyager Estate. This is a model of contemporary Western Australian winemaking and marketing. Cliff Royle, Steve James and the Wright family make a very impressive team.