Nestled in the South West of the region, in among the gentle slopes of the Stevens Valley, sits Voyager Estate
Roughly 300 kms South of Perth, and only 9 kms inland from the rugged coast and the Indian Ocean, the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia winds itself through limestone outcrops, stunning forests and huge caves.
The maritime climate can be described as warm Mediterranean and is tempered by sea breezes as it’s surrounded by the ocean on three sides.
First established in 1978 and planted with varieties common to the Bordeaux area of France, it was taken over by Michael Wright in 1991, and who named it Voyager Estate.
Micheal Wright built a reputation for pioneering environmental awareness, introducing organic and sustainable practices from the outset.
This is a winery with a loyal following in Australia and a fast growing reputation abroad for producing premium wines with a modern flavour-profile and elegance.
With their impressive track record, exceptional quality classics and innovative new wines – this is a winery tipped for great things.
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The geology is quite unique. The rich, well-drained gravelly soils with a stony clay subsoil, on an ancient granite bed (up to 2000 million years old) are some of the World’s oldest. The dry summers and geology provide a fantastic environment for wine production.
Voyager Estate’s philosophy really started to bear fruit when Steve James came on board about 20 years ago. His light-touch approach, hand-selecting only the finest quality grapes and allowing them to express this distinctive terroir, led to him being named Winemaker of the Year 2021, Voyager Estate Winery of the Year and their flagship Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignons sweeping recent awards.
The first European settlers had moved in by the 1850s, and a small winery was set up soon after, but it wasn’t until the railways arrived in the early 20th century that the area started to take off. Surveys by eminent viticulturist identified the potential to grow exceptional quality varieties in the 1950s and from there the first successful wineries sprang up.
The fine quality of early wines attracted more investment, more wineries opened up and this momentum led to its establishment as the premium wine-growing region that we know now.
Today the Margaret River wine region is home to mainly smaller wine producers; with wineries crushing between 3.5 tonne per year upto the largest, around 7000 tonne.
Steve started working for the Voyager Estate in the early 2000s as a viticulturist who was completely in tune with the environmentally-aware philosophy of the winery and has been key to developing wines that reflect that care.
His approach emphasises close attention to detail and a light-touch throughout the wine-making process, especially in for their flagship Estate Chardonnay.
The West Australian Wine Guide has named Steve Winemaker of the Year 2021, Voyager Estate Winery of the Year, and their 2018 MJW Chardonnay both White Wine and Chardonnay of the Year.
The Modern Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 scored a fantastic 95 points at the same awards.