To the untrained eye, a paddock covered in red-brown dirt is not something to get particularly excited about. In fact, it’s often something to be avoided. However, to a gifted vigneron, or a wellread entrepreneur, good soil selection holds the potential for outstanding fruit and, ultimately, exceptional wines. Michael Wright shares with us just what made him choose the particular patch of dirt which is now the home of Voyager Estate.

When Michael decided to venture into the winemaking business in the late 80s, his intentions were clear; to be a super-premium producer by virtue of outstanding quality wines that reflect the place in which they are grown. It was therefore fortunate for Michael that his choice of one of Australia’s finest winegrowing regions, Margaret River, was in his home state of Western Australia.

Heavily influenced by their soils, climate and environment, it is important to remember that grapes are a unique fruit in that they can differ in their characteristics depending on the soils and micro-climates in which they are grown. Wines are often described as being a reflection of their “terroir”, coming from the French noun “terre” which describes a host of natural influences – earth, land, soil, loam, clay. Terroir, however, distinguishes a wine’s sense of place through many other elements beyond the soils and climate. The resultant fact is that no two areas of the grape-growing world are identical and even areas of similar climate and soils produce wines that are significantly different from one another.

For Michael, the site which is now Voyager Estate not only offered a great location to showcase the wines, but deep gravelly soils over clay that would produce balanced vines and fruit with intense varietal character:

“The distinct wine region which is Margaret River is one of the largest wine regions in Australia and stretches some 100km from North to South and about 27km wide in parts. Composed of a complete mix of soils and geological formations, the dirt ranges from perfect grape-growing foundations to complete rubbish. This short, sharp mix with intermittent variations and only small pockets of suitable soils is the main reason why there are no large vineyards in Margaret River. Although vineyards are spread over the 3000sq kilometre region, there are only 54sq kilometres actually under vine.”

“Stevens Valley is, in my opinion, a super-premium area of Margaret River, extending from Redgate Road in the South, North to just outside the town site, and East to Highway 10. It offers soils, drainage and climate which are ideal for making the styles of Chardonnay and Cabernet for which the region is so famous. Soil changes can be very sudden, occurring within a few metres. Normal soil selection is generally on a grid of pits dug and soil-tested every 100 metres. However, because of these extraordinary variations in our region, I make sure that soil selection is done by dividing the area selected into a 25-metre grid pattern and digging a one-metre deep profile hole at each corner. From this, good and bad soil boundaries are determined. This is why Voyager Estate vineyards are sometimes irregular in shape and vary from 1 hectare to 5 hectares in size. They begin and end where the good soils begin and end. This, coupled with the weather, particularly the ocean breezes which temper the summer heat, creates an ideal environment for Voyager Estate’s benchmark quality.”

Testament to Michael’s passion for soils is the fact that on an Estate of over 300 hectares, only 130 are currently under vine. This means that only the best dirt is selected as the foundation for growing outstanding fruit, which ultimately goes into the creation of exceptional wines.