2024 Voyager Estate Cabernets, Margaret River

The colour is quite brilliant and bright. The nose shows a more fragrant red-fruit character with that oyster-shell character. This is 65% cabernet, 28% merlot and the balance malbec, petit verdot and cabernet franc. Beautifully balanced and poised, with bright red fruit on the palate. Still has the vineyard chalky, saline character there, with a slightly mineral lift. This is an immediately appealing wine but with a degree of sophistication. A red-fruit and liquorice character emerges.

95 points Ray Jordan Wine Review 2027

Juicy dark-fruited aromas of blackberries and cherries with floral perfume, wet stone, spice and a herbal lift. The palate is tightly wound with finely integrated tannins, bright acidity and a long mineral-edged finish that leaves you salivating. Lovely freshness and purity with the structure to reward time in the cellar. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and touches of petit verdot, cabernet franc and malbec. Drink or hold.

94 points Ryan Montgomery for James Suckling, October 2026

The 2024 season followed reasonable winter rains and an early bud burst, then settled into an extended warm, dry stretch that promoted even, early ripening — harvest started early and wrapped up before Easter. Parcels were destemmed while retaining a large proportion of whole berries, then fermented separately across a mix of open fermenters and concrete vats, with most batches cold-soaked. Post-ferment, the wine macerated on skins for 10–15 days before pressing to a combination of French oak barriques (20% new) and concrete. It was racked from barrel in January 2025 and spent a further six months in tank prior to bottling.

The 2024 is a 63/23/7/5/2 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The backbone of this wine comes from three of Voyager's Cabernet Sauvignon blocks, with two planted to the Houghton clone and one to the 125 clone, all on gravelly soils and farmed organically. The Houghton clone contributes fruit from the darker end of the spectrum, while the 125 clone is prized for its perfumed aromatics, fine soft tannins and elegant, lighter, red-fruited profile. A parcel of Q45 and 181 clone Merlot adds mid-palate flesh and sweetness, while the remaining varieties bolster structure, perfume and depth.

About this producer

Voyager Estate was established in 1978 on the gravelly soils of Stevens Valley in southern Margaret River, one of the coolest and most maritime-influenced parts of the region. The estate has been farming organically since 2017 and received full certification in 2023. All fruit is estate grown across five vineyards on granite and ironstone soils.