Voyager Estate

Written by Ian Robertson on 20th October 2007

In the early 1990’s, the Margaret River wine region, 277 kms south of Perth in Western Australia, was rolling along at a steady, sustainable pace. It had earned the reputation of being the premier region for Cabernet Sauvignon and white Bordeaux blends in Australia. Indeed, it was known as Australia’s answer to that King of French wine regions – Australia’s own patch of Bordeaux. Wine prices reflected this – the best wines of the region were well and truly in the ‘very expensive’ category. It would be too harsh to say that many of the producers were resting on their laurels, but the acclaim and recognition, combined with the scarcity of product (the region was still quite small) meant that Margaret River wines had an air of the inaccessible.

Then, a brash newcomer by the name of Michael Wright decided to purchase Freycinet Estate in 1991 and expand the original plantings from 1978 of 44 hectares with further plantings and acquisitions to over 100 hectares. In Margaret River terms, this was big. Real big.

Wright’s family had been involved in agricultural pursuits back to 1901 with the commencement of the family business, but it is safe to say that the family name is most commonly associated with mining. His father, together with Lang Hancock, founded Hancock & Wright – so we are not talking small potatoes here!

Michael decided upon wine, and set about making the correct purchase. Margaret River, surrounded by the ocean on three sides and thus having a strong maritime climate with wet winters and dry summers was an obvious candidate for quality – when he found the old Freycinet Estate with its rich red/brown gravely loam soil, he found what he had been looking for.

Michael was obviously concerned about the quality of the wine, but he also wanted to make a statement in the region, providing a visitor showcase. The striking Cape Dutch style cellar door and gardens, inspired by the fact that the first vines planted in Western Australia were brought from South Africa in 1829, certainly achieved this purpose. In addition, Michael’s other striking addition sent a few shockwaves through areas he little expected – for a while, Voyager Estate flew the second tallest flagpole to fly an Australian flag until Parliament House in Canberra decided not to be outdone!

So it is fair to say Voyager Estate made a real splash in the region with quality wines, a stunning showcase cellar door, and a driven business man behind them. But this does not really explain why their entry to the region created a little ill-will with some of the locals.

It was all about the price.

For the most part, Voyager wines were less expensive than wines from other Margaret River cellar doors. This meant that there was a fear among other producers that the price of Voyager wines would “sully” the reputation of the region. The fear was of course more about a fear of competition.

Flash forward to the Voyager wines of the now, and things look pretty damn good. Granted, some of the wines have increased in price a little from what they once were priced – especially the Cabernet Sauvignon wines (often with a dash of Merlot) the Chardonnay and the Shiraz. But the wine list still manages to maintain a steady stream of sub $30 wines. And given that the Chardonnay is among the best the region has to offer year in, year out, it is normally a good 30% (or more) less than other leading Margaret River wineries. Across the board, the wines stand out as winners – something that winemaker Cliff Royle should really take a bow for.

So, what more can you ask of a producer? Quality across the board, a cellar door that can be classed as an experience and an eye for value where before there had been none?

Voyager does it for me!

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