In the northern hemisphere most people imagine beautiful snowy weather when they think about a white Christmas. Although the chance of experiencing a white Christmas is less common in the southern hemisphere, we celebrate and share the festive season with family and friends in a similar way. Christmas dinners around the world differ and whilst Australia’s is similar to the traditional English version, the summer heat commonly lends itself to other cuisine as well. Besides hot turkey, ham and all the trimmings, we often enjoy food on the cooler side as well as refreshing drinks and elegant white wines make a great accompaniment.

At Voyager Estate we have just released two outstanding fi ne white wines, 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and 2008 Chenin Blanc, which are a perfect match for a memorable summer meal and an excellent refl ection of these varieties in Margaret River. You can now enjoy the festive season with your own version of a white Christmas - with Voyager Estate whites.

2006 Chardonnay

Huon Hooke has been complimentary of our Chardonnays in the past and our 2006 vintage is no different. He gave it 95 points in the October/November 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller Wine : “The ultra-cool 2006 season yielded top chardonnays in Margaret River. A restrained, intense, fi nely structured wine, it has understated oak and beautifully refi ned fruit. Complex, and all components are in harmony.”

2008 Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc is the last white grape variety to ripen on our vineyard and excels in the warmer vintages such as 2008. This vintage has produced an outstanding fi ne wine with fl avours of stone fruits, guava, rockmelon and paw paw with excellent palate weight and intensity. It is an easy-drinking aromatic white wine. Though not an overly complex wine, this sophisticated style retains and displays the vibrant ripe fruit fl avours typical of the variety, complemented by a small amount of residual sugar.

2008 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

2008 was an outstanding season for both Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Typically the Sauvignon Blanc was harvested with fruit fl avours in the gooseberry, white peach and lychee spectrum, whilst the Semillon as usual displays intense fl avours of lemon and grapefruit, combined with the distinctly Southern Margaret River herbaceous edge. All the fruit was harvested with outstanding natural acidity levels, which has resulted in an exceptionally well-balanced wine with a fi ne, tight structure.

2006 Girt by Sea Cabernet Merlot

2006 Girt by Sea has a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than previous blends. Our best Cabernet vineyards are 30 years old and produce outstanding Cabernet fruit usually destined for our Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. However, due to the nature of the vintage, this wine was not made and therefore our best parcels of Cabernet fruit were reserved for Girt by Sea. Combined with some of the fi nest Merlot we have seen from our vineyards this wine is a strong contender for excellence in its class.

2006 Shiraz

The 2006 vintage in Margaret River was the coolest and latest ripening season ever. Given these cool conditions, the Voyager Estate 2006 Shiraz is defi ned by its distinctive perfume and peppery aromatics and fl avours. Although its cool climate style is perhaps more akin to Shiraz from Canberra or Central Victoria, its profi le is distinctly Voyager Estate. On 6 July 2008 The Sunday Telegraph’s Insider Liftout “On the Grapevine” described it as, “An elegant Margaret River red just waiting to be enjoyed. Soft, spicy fl avours and both French and American oak provide the framework for a wine that’s full of class.”

2006 Collection Semillon

The fruit for this wine was crop-thinned back to 7 tonnes per hectare, hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. Half the juice was tank-fermented with the other half going into a mixture of new and used French and Russian oak. The French oak gives the wine great structure and purity whilst the Russian oak gives a lovely dusty/spice complexity. Both portions remained on lees for 9 months before being fi ned, fi ltered and bottled in October 2006. Voyager Estate’s VOC Collection is only made in small quantities and is available exclusively to Cellar Door and Mail Order customers.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Jane Faulkner described this wine as, “So utterly beguiling and downright delicious that I can’t stop drinking it - this is Margaret River Cabernet at her best. Wound around the core of blueberry, mulberry and black fruits are layers of savoury and spice notes such as liquorice, bay leaf, tobacco and a hint of mint sitting alongside fi ne, soft tannins and cedary yet wellintegrated oak. Very plush, succulent and superbly balanced but with all great reds, this needs time. And in a word, outstanding.” The Age Culture & Life Liftout, 28 June 2008.

2005 Tom Price Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

The fruit for this outstanding wine comes from our old Estate vines planted in 1978 and was selected for its intense fl avour and piercing acidity coupled with the full spectrum of fruit fl avours. On the palate it expresses tight, savoury fruits of green olive, citrus and honey along with herbs and gentle oak, which gives this wine a serious nature supported by natural, clean acid and a refreshing long palate. Lean citrus fruits and mineral characters refl ect a restrained Bordeaux style. Exclusively available to Cellar Door and Mail Order customers.

2004 Tom Price Cabernet Sauvignon

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon fruit that was sourced from then 26-year-old original Estate vines, this wine features juicy dark fruits, velvet tannins and a soft, yet powerful fi nish. This is a classic wine made in an old-world Bordeaux style and has a cellaring potential of up to 20 years. As it will age beautifully, wine lovers who join it on its journey will be rewarded later. Tom Price wines are exclusive to Cellar Door and Mail Order customers.