2024 Tempranillo Rosé

Variety: Tempranillo
ALC/VOL: 13.0%
Harvested: 24 February 2024
Vineyard: C3 Tempranillo (Clone 98)
Soil: Gravelly, stony soils producing balanced & moderate yields
Organic: Certified organic
Oak: 5 months, old oak puncheons
Cellaring: Made for immediate enjoyment
Colour: Bright salmon
Nose: Redcurrant, blood orange, yellow rose, French tarragon
Palate: Savoury, phenolic grip, fresh acidity, a hint of cedar
Food match: Barbequed prawns or chargrilled mediterranean vegetables

Vintage

The 2024 vintage featured an extended warm and dry period following reasonable winter rains and an early bud burst.

The season experienced warmer-than-usual temperatures, promoting even and early ripening. Harvesting commenced early and finished before Easter, producing fruit with great ripeness, intense flavour, and vibrant acidity.

Method

Tempranillo fruit was cold pressed and juice removed off skins in a flash. Barrel-fermented in old oak puncheons. Remained on lees for five months with regular bâtonnage. Bottled young for early release.

“We planted our C3 Tempranillo block to craft an iconic Margaret River Rosé.
Fine-boned and 100% barrel fermented, this wine balances savoury texture with a lean acid line for seriously delicious drinking.” – Tim Shand, Chief Winemaker

2024 Vivid Red

Variety: Shiraz, Tempranillo, Grenache, Merlot
ALC/VOL: 13.0%
Harvested: Mid-late February 2024
Vineyard: Old-vine Shiraz & Grenache blended with new vineyards
Soil: Stony, gravel soils with underlying stone & clay
Organic: Certified organic
Oak: 3 months, old oak barriques
Cellaring: Made for immediate enjoyment
Colour: Deep purple
Nose: Intense red fruit, earth, graphite, aniseed
Palate: Bold, wild brambly fruit, ferrous, velvety tannin
Food match: Barbeque meats, balsamic roasted tomatoes or charcuterie

Vintage

The 2024 vintage featured an extended warm and dry period following reasonable winter rains and an early bud burst. The season experienced warmer-than-usual temperatures, promoting even and early ripening. Harvesting commenced early and finished before Easter. Overall, the reds stand out for their fruit weight, vibrancy, and significant but fine tannins.

Method

Hand-picked parcels of fruit were whole-bunch fermented in small vessels and remained on skins for 14 days before being pressed to old oak barriques where they matured, separately, for three months. Wines were then racked to tank and blended just prior to bottling for a spring release. No fining and no added sulphites.

“A pure and bold expression of our place in Stevens Valley. Wild, bright and completely preservative-free, it’s fresh as the day and ready for spring." - Tim Shand, Chief Winemaker

Winefront Review by Campbell Mattinson

Posted on 19 September 2024

'Margaret River – indeed, Stevens Valley – blend of shiraz, grenache, tempranillo and merlot. Mostly whole bunch, steeped on skins for 14 days. No sulphur at any stage. Pressed to old barrels.

Gorgeously expressive, buoyant, soft, light but fruity. It’s a touch smoky/meaty/ferrous on the finish and that meatiness tames and shapes the wine. This is a beautiful drink, interesting, vivid in name and vivid by nature. It’s generous, soft and light at once. It brightens the glass and brightens the day.'

92 Points

2023 Syrah

Variety: 98% Shiraz, 2% Viognier
ALC/VOL: 13.5%
Harvested: 24 to 30 March 2023
Vineyard: Two of our best Shiraz blocks
Soil: Some of our toughest, shallow, stony, gravelly soils
Organic: Certified organic
Oak: 10 months, oak puncheons and barriques, 10% new
Cellaring: Up to 10 years
Colour: Deep magenta
Nose: Blackcurrant pastille, juniper berry, baking spices
Palate: Focused, ripe berries, balanced acidity, fine tannin
Food Match: Charred beets, goat cheese, rucola, balsamic

Vintage

Despite a cool start to spring, flowering and fruit set were even across all varieties. November heralded the beginning of a glorious run of weather. Days were warm but never hot, and temperatures dropped nicely into the evenings, allowing gradual ripening and acid retention in the grapes. Harvest commenced a week later than ‘normal’ under clear blue skies and finished in mid-April.

Method

Shiraz was picked in the delicate red fruit spectrum. A portion of fruit was fermented as whole bunches, with Viognier also co-fermented for aromatics. The fruit was then crushed to enhance extraction with less time on skins, and then spent five months in tank for élevage prior to bottling.

“Our new Syrah captures the detail and purity that Stevens Valley’s cooler climes bring to the table—a savoury but perfumed Syrah, offering pure red fruit and gentle spice.” - Tim Shand, Chief Winemaker

Winefront Review by Campbell Mattinson

Posted on 19 September 2024

'It’s syrah not shiraz, which can be an affectation but in this case it’s not, because the style here is clearly different to what we’re accustomed to seeing with shiraz from Voyager Estate. This is a fresher, prettier, earlier-picked expression of the variety from this region. Winemaker Tim Shand obviously spent a decade or so making shiraz and pinot noir in the Yarra Valley prior to his appointment as Voyager chief winemaker, and it would seem that he’s brought a Yarra-gundian sensibility with him.

There’s almost no new oak been used here. There’s a 2% dab of viognier.

The first thing I wrote was this: “Love the grapey stretch of tannin here.” This wine is light, musky, refreshing and silken, its strawberried/cherried fruit singing fresh and harmonious. It’s a delicate wine, perfumed, soft, with fine details of peppers and dry herbs. Freshness in wine is like light in photography and movement in film; as human beings, we can’t help but follow it. This wine has the kind of freshness that you can feel your mouth following, so that it comes as a surprise when you find yourself both caught in the stretch of pliable tannin, and swept out by the rip of fresh fruit.'

95 Points