2018 ‘MJW’ Chardonnay, Voyager Estate
£325 per 6 bottle case in bond

Request To Buy

I have been fortunate enough to access a very small number of cases of 2018 Voyager Estate ‘MJW’ Chardonnay. The allocation is small as the volume produced is tiny – in fact in 2017 they made about 80 cases!
 
This estate has been on my radar for a while as I recall their wines showing well several years back. Add to that the fact that I consider 2018 to be a very good Chardonnay vintage across various major Australian regions, and I consider our purchase something of a result!
 
This Margaret River estate is based around 14 hectares of original vineyard planted by Peter Gherardi in 1978 when the estate was known as Freycinet. It only took on its modern-day form when it was sold to Michael Wright in 1991. Today the estate has expanded to encompass 112.5 hectares in the Wallcliffe subregion, including plantings of Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion and Chenin Blanc. Michael could easily see the potential of this site in the Stevens Valley and his foresight has led to the estate’s continued success.  Today, Voyager remains an independent, family-owned estate, run by Michael’s daughter, Alexandra Burt. Sustainability is more than a watchword for Alexandra and under her guidance the estate is on the cusp of organic certification. In the process, they have planted over 70,000 trees to bring back to life cleared farmland and to slow surface water run-off. Water management is taken seriously here and the estate employs a state-of-the-art irrigation system that conserves precious water resources.
 
I was so impressed by the 2018 ‘MJW’ Chardonnay and could easily see why it was rated so highly in James Halliday’s influential Wine Companion, where it scored a whopping 98 points placing it right alongside the much better-known Leeuwin Estate Art Series. When you read the note from the Wine Companion, please be assured that the reviewer is not a relative of whom I am aware, though hopefully wine credentials do go with the surname!
 
This is undoubtedly a Chardonnay with a very bright future; the estate’s winemaker Steve James commented that 2018 offered ‘perfect ripening conditions’ and has resulted in ‘an outstanding expression of our pinnacle MJW Chardonnay.' His words are certainly borne out by the wine in the glass – please see my full note below.