Voyager Estate

About Voyager Estate

Family-owned Voyager Estate celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, having been first planted in 1978. One of the first estates in Margaret River, farmer, entrepreneur and regional pioneer, the late Michael Wright, bought the vineyard in 1991, and the reigns of the company have since passed to his daughter, Alexandra Burt.

All their wines are single estate grown and made. In 2004 the team experimented with organic approaches on heritage Cabernet Sauvignon plantings, and in 2017 the official three-year certification process began. As of 2020, they had their first tranche of organic wines certified, with the remainder to follow in 2023. Voyager Estate sits in the southern end of the Margaret River region, in Stevens Valley. Ancient gravel soils combined with ideal maritime airflow allow for a fascinating expression of time and place, with each varietal showing wines that could be from no other place on earth.

Over the past twenty years, the health of the environment and soils has been at the centre of their philosophy; from organic certification, to turning grape marc into compost, to over 25% of energy consumption provided by solar panels and having telemetry-controlled irrigation systems that conserve water resources. Their ultimate ambition is an exercise in simplicity: to craft wines that do justice to the incredible climate and soils. Viewing themselves as custodians of a land that is destined to make outstanding wines, they seek not to get in the way of the sense and taste of place in each bottle. Still small, family-owned and independent, Voyager Estate continues to make wines that let the fruit and location speak for themselves.

Voyager Chardonnay 2021

A tricky season commencing with good early season growth. A cool and wet November impacted fruit set and resulted in reduced yields. Early summer was hot and dry, then February brought more cool and wet conditions. Our organic farming, however, had the vineyard in terrific shape to deal with the challenges and our Chardonnay was harvested with fruit purity and bright acidity.

Voyager Coastal Chardonnay 2022

A cool start to the season slowed early vine growth and delayed flowering, resulting in moderate yields. By late December, our organic farming practices had the vineyards well placed for a stellar vintage. Healthy canopies kept the grapes cool through a record hot summer, preserving freshness, and our Chardonnay was harvested with fruit purity and vitality.

Voyager MJW Chardonnay 2020

Voyager Estate’s top-of-the-range wines are named MJW, as a tribute to the founder. A near perfect growing season, aside from a small storm in late October which brought some wind and hail. Spring was warm and dry, followed by a very hot December. Milder conditions through January ripened the grapes nicely, and saw the team commencing harvest in early February. The Chardonnay was picked first, with the fruit displaying pristine freshness, fruit concentration and bright varietal expression.

Voyager Shiraz 2019

An unusually late growing season, with some notable challenges. A cooler than average summer resulted in a delayed start to harvest. Luckily, some classic autumnal sunshine arrived in late March, which provided perfect ripening conditions for the reds. The Shiraz fruit was harvested in excellent condition, retaining pure, intense flavours and finely woven tannins.

Voyager Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Excellent budburst was followed by a delightfully warm November, perfect for good fruit set. Summer was mild, leading into cool, dry conditions for harvest. Fruit ripened slowly, accumulating intense varietal flavours and bright natural acid, and was harvested under clear skies through March and April.

Voyager Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Estate grown vineyards make up this blend, with a distinctive power and elegance that distinguishes classic Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit was hand-harvested and de-stemmed to retain as many whole berries as possible, before separate fermentation, and blending.

Voyager The Modern Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

A close to perfect growing season with a warm and dry spring providing excellent conditions for flowering. One of our hottest Decembers on record, advancing fruit development. A slightly milder January was perfect for steady ripening and led to an early red harvest with fruit in exceptional condition with intense colour, concentration and silky, fine, soft tannins.

Voyager MJW Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Excellent budburst was followed by a beautifully warm November; ideal flowering and fruit set conditions. Summer was quite mild and one of our wetter Decembers, with just a few hot days. The warmer March weather saw reds ripen beautifully, and they were harvested under clear, sunny skies with ripe, concentrated flavours and excellent fine-grained silky tannins.