Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2016 (6 x 750mL) Margaret River, WA

Vineyard

The vines enjoyed a near perfect growing season, with warm, dry spring weather and relatively light wind conditions prevailing along the Margaret River coast. The summer conditions were nice and warm without excessive heat, until a curveball arrived during 18 to 20 of January with a rare weather event for this time of the year occurring. This resulted in 80mm of rain falling over the region, which was a timely watering from Mother Nature for the reds - but not so timely for the whites which were only a couple of weeks from harvest. This was followed by some cooler conditions in late January and early February, this combination of events had the effect of delaying the white grape harvest with our first pick of Chardonnay on the February 8, which was one week later than the past few years. Harvest of the whites progressed slowly with the team picking small parcels of fruit each day, with Chardonnay being harvested during mid February to early March followed by Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc during the late February to mid-March period. The 2016 vintage was a very strong year overall for the whites which all displayed bright, intense varietal fruit flavours with excellent natural acidity.

Vineyard

The fruit for our Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is sourced from 11 separate Estate vineyard blocks. The vines are all planted on gravelly loam soils with different aspects and microclimates offering slightly different flavour profiles. The Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are planted mainly to Clone 1, which is perfect for this style of wine, offering crunchy lifted tropical fruit aromas and flavours. The Semillon contributes strong citrus elements, and provides palate weight and structure to the wine. The core Semillon component is sourced from our North Block 10 vineyard which was planted in 1995. This vineyard consistently produces outstanding fruit with great flavour intensity. All the vines are hand-pruned, shoot-thinned and yields are regulated to a target of ten tonnes per hectare, which ensures consistency from season to season.