Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Based in the Stevens Valley, a few miles southwest of the town of Margaret River, Voyager Estate is a series of neighboring vineyards on gravelly loam soils. A relatively cool summer in the region brought this cabernet blend to fine maturity, and bottle age has taken it toward a supple roundness that’s immediately apparent when you open the bottle. It develops with air, from hints of verbena and bergamot toward savory tones of currants and black olives. The tension in the wine gives it a distinctive shape, feeling concentrated in the middle, then powering up in the end, the tannins revving up and shifting the gravitas of the wine’s core into the memory of something fresh and lively.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot is evolving nicely into a crème de cassis, baked plum and incense laced character with nuances of sautéed herbs, tobacco leaves, cigar box and dusty earth. The palate offers elegant, maturing fruit with a lovely spice cake character coming through on the long, velvety finish. This is classic Margaret River Cabernet, drinking beautifully now.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.