2020 Voyager Estate MJW Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

The flagship, the tribute wine, so no pressure. It must be distinct and the best of the best. All cabernet on show here with its heady aromatics, a whorl of blackberries and boysenberries, bay leaves and some mint plus an array of exotic spices from cinnamon to star anise alongside cedary, choc-creamy oak. Fuller-bodied and flavoursome, richly so but not dense as chalky, textural tannins glide across the palate and the acidity follows closely behind like Curling cleaning and refreshing everything in its wake. Powerful and ready now but so worth cellaring.

96 points Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au

The 2020 MJW Cabernet Sauvignon speaks first of tannin, then oak, then fruit. This is the way of the 2020 reds in Margaret River. It was a warm year, low yielding (due to challenging weather during flowering) and dry. The wines are concentrated, tannic and powerful. They are also very good, but there is much to be said of the tannins. The oak is more evident here than I remember; you get toasted vanilla pod and sweet resin, oatmeal and almost Ovaltine in that regard. The fruit speaks of cassis and bramble, licorice, raspberry and dark chocolate. This is an altogether more powerful, cohesive, bonded wine than the estate or the single-block bottlings. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

This was a mammoth tasting (44 wines) but well timed, given the appointment of new winemaker Tim Shand, from Yarra Valley's Punt Road. There were several surprises, most of them positive. It was a pleasure to witness seasonal consistency between blocks and across varieties, and to see the older wines, on the whole, looking so good and fresh in 2023.

The consistency of the vineyard team and the winemaking team over time has lent the estate an impressive cohesion, meaning the differences between the wines came down to vintages and winemaking methods. On the whole, my visit was an excellent, rare day that provided oversight to the estate akin to nothing I have witnessed before. The highlights were undoubtedly centered around the 2013 and 2014 vintages.

97 points robertparker.com

Voyager Estate MJW Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship red from one of Margaret River’s most respected producers, crafted only in exceptional vintages from the finest parcels of the estate’s certified organic vineyards in Stevens Valley. The MJW label, named after founder Michael J. Wright, represents the pinnacle of Voyager’s commitment to site, sustainability and purity of expression.

The fruit is sourced from the gravelly, ironstone-rich soils of Block 1 in the North Block vineyard, which consistently delivers Cabernet of incredible intensity, structure and detail. Hand harvested and sorted, the grapes are fermented in small open fermenters with extended maceration, then matured in the finest French oak barriques (around 50 percent new) for up to 20 months. The wine is bottled unfiltered to preserve its natural character.

Aromas of blackcurrant, bay leaf, cedar and graphite leap from the glass, with nuances of violets, cigar box, and crushed herbs. The palate is powerful yet composed, offering layers of cassis, mulberry, dark chocolate and earth, all wrapped in fine, structural tannins and bright acidity. The finish is long and savoury, with a mineral drive and quiet authority that speaks of pedigree and place.

Pair it with dry-aged beef ribeye, roast lamb with rosemary, venison with blackberry glaze, or grilled portobello mushrooms with balsamic. This is a wine that will reward long cellaring, with a drinking window of 15 to 20 years.