Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001

Philip Rich Top 20 Wines of 2005 
Trophy, Best Cabernet Sauvignon - Margaret River Wine Show 2004 

Voyager Estate is one of Margaret River's oldest vineyards, located In the Stevens Valley in the subregion of Wallcliffe. The vineyard was first planted in 1978 and subsequently purchased by mining heir Michael Wright in 1991. It is part of what James Halliday refers to as the 'golden triangle' of Margaret River - encompassing Voyager Estate, Leeuwin Estate and Cape Mentelle. This impeccably run Estate crafts a set of wines that ooze style and class.

"My three top Margaret River cabernets from the great 2001 vintage are Cullen, Cape Mentelle and Voyager Estate. Voyager has made enormous strides over the past few years and should now be considered one of the best producers in Margaret River. This is a superb wine with aromas of dark cherry/blackcurrant fruit, earth, cedar and just a hint of tobacco leaf. The palate is equally concentrated, ripe and complex with fine-grained, supple tannins, providing a wine that can be enjoyed now or kept at least another five to eight years plus."  Philip Rich

A wine of this quality, coming from an outstanding vintage for reds in Margaret River (many say the best on record) and winner of the Trophy at the Margaret River Wine Show, almost sells itself! The accolade for the 2001 cabernet merlot is justified according to winemaker Cliff Royle, who believes that this is the best red wine the winemaking and viticultural team have ever made.

"If ever there was a doubt that there was a new top-level name in Margaret River cabernet, Voyager Estate's 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot puts that doubt to rest."  Jeremy Oliver

"The Voyager Estate 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot has lovely aromatics consisting of blackberries, cassis, blood plums, dark chocolate and cedary oak. The palate has thick fruit flavours in the dark berry spectrum with a touch of the southern Margaret river savoury bay leaf character. The sign of a great wine is the tannin structure. In years like 2001, Cabernet will have fine, integrated, chalky tannins supported by quality French oak. While approachable at this early stage the wine will benefit from at least three years in the cellars of the patient among us."  Voyager Estate

Expert reviews

"Dense aromas of cassis, dark plums, cherries and berries are tightly knit with cedar/dark chocolate oak, with undertones of dried herbs. Long, elegant and beautifully structured, its piercingly intense flavours of cassis, blackberries and ark plums integrate neatly with new oak and dusty, firm, fine-grained tannin. Superbly balanced and revealing exceptional length of flavour, it should develop into a regional classic. Drink 2013-2021."  Jeremy Oliver – 97 points

"An embarrassment of richness and pure class. Confirmation of the greatness of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2001 vintage. Without doubt the outstanding class of the show." Steve Pannell, Panel Leader Margaret River Wine Show 2004 - 19.5/20 points

"My three top Margaret River cabernets from the great 2001 vintage are Cullen (in my top 20 last year), Cape Mentelle and Voyager Estate. Voyager has made enormous strides over the past few years and should now be considered one of the best producers in Margaret River. This is a superb wine with aromas of dark cherry/blackcurrant fruit, earth, cedar and just a hint of tobacco leaf. The palate is equally concentrated, ripe and complex with fine-grained, supple tannins, providing a wine that can be enjoyed now or kept at least another five to eight years plus."  Philip Rich, Australian Financial Review - Top 20 Wines of 2005

"The cabernet merlot is undoubtedly the top wine. I'd put it alongside Cullen, Moss Wood and Cape Mentelle in the top rank of Margaret River cabernets – and they're all much dearer. It's very concentrated but also elegant and beautifully structured; mint and crushed leaf aromas casting it as a distinctive cabernet-based wine, while blackberry and blackcurrant aromas are the main event. It's very long palate, fleshy extract and ample ripe tannins mark it as a wine for cellaring, although it drinks well now."  Huon Hooke, The Age Good Weekend

"Medium deep red, slight purple. Good depth of nose and palate, rich ripe and concentrated. Intense, lively, still has primary fruit and a lively palate, good acidity keeping it energised. Balanced and very long. Fine texture and supple, gentle, fine-grained tannins. Lovely wine, very long and has a good spine of tannin. Some acidity apparent. Great power and drive. Shows very good, appropriate maturity."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 95 points (Tasted May 2010)

"If you like true Margaret River cabernet then this is an essential purchase. It's tremendous value. It's got maturity of tannin, the number one feature of top-line cabernet. It's varietal, it's balanced, it hasn't been over-oaked and although it's high in alcohol, it's yet filled with dust and ash and asparagus, traits that when done well help a wine mature into something classic. Here they are done well. There is also, of course, a solid drive of olivedipped, chocolate-splashed blackcurrant, and despite its power it's an elegant, perfumed, taut body rather than a busty one. This is the best red Cliff Royle has yet released. Drink: 2010-2016."  Campbell Mattinson, Winefront Monthly - 94 points

"While most of the prestigious Margaret River reds are priced witihin the $60- $100 price area, the latest from Voyager - which ranks among the top five or six - is barely half the average price of its rivals. Yes, I know I have boosted this wine before but I cannot recall drinking a better wine of this type (Bordeaux blend) and at under $40 over the last year. Stocks may now be dwindling but was still available at the cellar door last month and some retailers should be able to oblige with a bottle or two. Superb Bordeaux style from Margaret River currently at about half the price of its main rivals."  Paddy Kendler  ★★★★★

"Voyager Estate is one of the premier Margaret River wineries. This cabernet blend from the excellent '01 vintage looks to be one of Voyager's best yet. It has richly concentrated blackcurranty fruit with savoury touches of earth and cedar. The palate is powerfully constructed with great depth, classical austerity and grippy tannins. Needs time. Ageing? Yes, three to 10 year s plus."  Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Epicure  ★★★★★

"Powerful, concentrated blackcurrant/blackberry fruit, then long, powerful tannins; infinite patience required. Drink Now-2026."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion – 93 points

Awards

Top 20 Wines of 2005 - Philip Rich, Australian Financial Review
Trophy, Best Cabernet Sauvignon - Margaret River Wine Show 2004
Gold Medal - Margaret River Wine Show 2004

About the winery

Voyager Estate is one of Margaret River's oldest vineyards, located In the Stevens Valley in the subregion of Wallcliffe. It is part of what James Halliday refers to as the 'golden triangle' of Margaret River - encompassing Voyager Estate, Leeuwin Estate and Cape Mentelle.

The vineyard was first planted in 1978 and at the time was known as Freycinet Estate. It was purchased by mining heir Michael Wright in 1991 and renamed Voyager Estate. Michael's agricultural background and extensive knowledge of soils and climate led him to Freycinet, where the uniform gravelly soils with a stony clay base enable moisture and nutrients to be slowly released to the vines.

Michael gradually acquired adjoining properties of similar soil types over time and today the vineyard occupies over 100 hectares. The regional stars chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon take the lead, though there are another 12 varieties planted - shiraz, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc, malbec, tempranillo, grenache, semillon, sauvignon blanc, sauvignon gris, chenin blanc and viognier.

The highest priority at the Estate has been the transition to certified organic management. That process initially began with a block of the original cabernet sauvignon plantings which has been organically farmed since 2004. As of 2021, the winery and 90 hectares of the vineyard have been certified organic and the transition is expected to be complete by 2023.

The management process doesn't stop at organics, either, with broader issues very much on the agenda. “Climate Change is an issue of paramount importance, not only for the survival of our species, but also in the way it specifically impacts our industry. We are ultimately working towards becoming a carbon negative business. We're currently building and recording baseline soil carbon levels in the pursuit of this goal.”, says Steve James who was Head of Winemaking and Viticulture for 23 years and is now employed in a consulting role.

Michael Wright, Voyager's founder and visionary, sadly passed away in 2012, but he left a powerful legacy of an absolute commitment to quality that today pervades every corner of Voyager. The Estate remains family owned, with Michael's daughter, Alex Burt (nee Wright), matching her father's fanatical attention to detail with an environmental conscience that has opened another important chapter in the history of this Estate.

Sheep grazing through the vineyard in winter

 The following extract is from an article by Paige Taylor in The Weekend Australian

As the golden end of a warm day settles over Voyager Estate, the hills of rolling vines are literally abuzz. Driving slowly past glistening rows of chenin blanc vines, busting with bright new spring buds, the sound of life is unmistakeable. Insects, hawks, eagles, ibis and native ducks fill the air with movement and sound; there's a sense that life is everywhere. "These vines are singing," says Voyager Estate vineyard manager Glen Ryan, looking out over the property, which shares its footprint with native karri, blackbutt and marri trees.

Voyager Estate wasn't always so lively. For decades, the Margaret River vineyard was like so many of its neighbours: a neat, quiet monoculture. Sprayed regularly to ward off pests and weeds, incidental life - chirping insects and squawking birds, in particular found it hard to flourish here.

Then Ryan and his team set about making a profound change.

With the blessing of proprietor Alexandra Burt, Ryan started taking Voyager wholly organic, removing chemicals from the farm and instituting a natural regimen for the soil and the vines. The result has been one of the most dramatic transformations of a large-scale winery in Australia, with Voyager due to be certified organic in January after more than a decade of incremental change. The 110ha property, 280km south of Perth, has been producing its signature wines without pesticides for years, but the bureaucracy of the certification process moves at a slower pace.

As a business proposal, going organic was not an obvious move for a winery that was already commercially successful and producing great wine. Yields are now 30 per cent lower than they were in pre-organic days. The cost of producing the grapes is higher, too. But "it's such a beautiful way to farm", says Ryan, who adds that the property is now on the way to becoming carbon neutral. The use of renewable energy, carbon offsets, waste reduction and comprehensive recycling, land rehabilitation and revegetation activities are all now part of Voyager's focus.