Organic. Voyager Estate’s superb Chardonnay has all the presence, elegance and purity of fruit we expect from this renowned producer. In particular, it reflects the cooler climate of the Wallcliffe sub-region and, more precisely, the Stevens Valley—arguably Margaret River’s finest Chardonnay zone. The area is characterised by gentle slopes of red/brown gravelly soils over stony clay. Influenced by cooling breezes from the nearby Indian Ocean, it’s a superb mesoclimate for Chardonnay, and the Voyager team pulls out all the stops to deliver on this promise.
The vineyard comprises six blocks planted to four different clones of Chardonnay, each bringing different nuances to the wine. This includes the well-known Gingin clone, which brings power and concentration, and Dijon clones 95, 96 and 76, which offer a more restrained flavour profile and contribute wonderful texture, finesse and freshness.
The fruit was harvested by hand, cooled overnight, then pressed as whole bunches, and transferred to French oak barriques for spontaneous fermentation. Selected parcels went through malolactic conversion. The lion’s share of the wine aged for nine months in oak barriques and was stirred regularly. A small portion of the wine (20%) matured in concrete for its final three months before blending.