As you might expect, Voyager's foray into the sparkling arena has class broadcast all over it. Perhaps surprisingly, however—given this producer's enviable reputation with Chardonnay—it was crafted entirely from Chenin Blanc (drawn from Voyager Estate's Weightmans Block 1). This patch of Chenin ripens and develops flavour early, giving full and punchy fruit character while retaining excellent natural acidity at lower potential alcohol. The 2025 season kept growers on their toes: warm temperatures and late winter rains woke the vines earlier than expected, though pre-pruning and a cooler August helped stall budburst until early September. From there, conditions ran warmer and drier than average, triggering fruit set and ripening the fruit beautifully into the new year. Shoot thinning ensured only pristine bunches made it to harvest, and the Chenin Blanc came in with excellent natural acidity and real fruit purity intact.
The fruit was picked by hand and whole-bunch pressed to avoid skin phenolics, then settled for 48 hours before being racked to stainless steel tanks for a cool fermentation that preserved the fruit's aromatics and vitality. A small parcel of juice was fermented separately in a new oak puncheon, lending further complexity and flavour dimension. Made using the traditional method, the wine was fined, filtered and tirage-bottled in early September for its secondary fermentation, then left on lees until January 2026 to build additional complexity and a fine bead. It's a compelling sparkling wine, with apple crunch and lemon sharpness, vivacious fizz and racy cut. Honey, toast and fine bead give it an even, balanced and moreish feel. Cheninpagne!