Voyager Estate Girt by Sea Cabernet Merlot 2005

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.

"Grab a steak and a bottle of this, and winter suddenly seems like the best time of the year. Mind, it would go great with spring lamb too. It's just a lovely drinking wine. Straight, honest, robust flavours, its gravely, slightly bitter edges swamped by dark curranty fruit. It had me tucking back for more, that's for sure."  Campbell Mattinson

"Deep red with brickish tints; the nose displays dark fruits in the blackberry, blood plum and cherry spectrum with dusty oak, dark chocolate and classic Margaret River spice; on the palate the full array of dark fruits are revealed along with briary chocolate notes. Fine chalky, earthy tannins taper to a structured clean finish. The malbec gives the wine some extra weight and complexity.

Unlike the Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, which is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and has 10-15% Merlot, our Girt by Sea is almost equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (44% and 42% respectively). In this wine we have set out to achieve a softer red blend for earlier consumption. The wine was matured in older French and American oak barrels for 12 months. The older wood gives the wine some oak influence, however it is, by design, a fruit driven wine."  Voyager estate

Expert reviews

"Medium- to full-bodied; clear-cut cassis, blackcurrant, black fruits in a firmly delineated frame; perfect balance of oak and tannins guarantee the slow, long-term development of a classy wine. 14.1º alc. Drink Now - 2027."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 94 points

"Aromas of blackberry, cassis, capsicum, baking spices and a little sweet oak. On the palate medium bodied with a mix of red and black fruit, earth, spice and chocolate. Fresh acidity and plenty of firm dry tannins. Particularly well structured. Good length of flavour. This is meant to be an earlier drinking style but I'd suggest cellaring it for a while. She's a little trimmer. Drink : 2009 - 2017+."  Gary Walsh, Winorama – 91+ points

"Grab a steak and a bottle of this, and winter suddenly seems like the best time of the year. Mind, it would go great with spring lamb too. It's just a lovely drinking wine. Straight, honest, robust flavours, its gravely, slightly bitter edges swamped by dark curranty fruit. It had me tucking back for more, that's for sure. Drink 2008-2012."  Campbell Mattinson, The Big Red Wine Book – 90 points

"Medium dark red purple. Very good colour. Scented, fragrant oak and raspberry, blueberry, mulberry fruit, nicely harmonised. Palate is lighter and simpler than expected. Lean, raw and under-developed, but has good potential. The raw materials are there."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 90 points 

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.