No 1 Family Estate Cuvee Virginie Brut 2016

No.1 Family Estate is a boutique winery in Marlborough, exclusively dedicated to producing traditional-method sparkling wines. It was founded in 1997 by Daniel and Adele Le Brun, with a vision to craft world-class ‘Méthode Traditionelle’ wines that could rival the finest Champagnes.

Daniel Le Brun, originally from Champagne, France, comes from a long lineage of winemakers dating back to 1684. Bringing his heritage and expertise to New Zealand, he saw Marlborough’s cool climate and free-draining soils as the ideal environment for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, the classic Champagne grape varieties.
No.1 Family Estate quickly gained recognition, producing elegant, complex, and age-worthy sparkling wines. Signature wines like No.1 Cuvée, No.1 Rosé, and No.1 Assemblé showcase the winery’s commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and family tradition, making it a benchmark for New Zealand sparkling wine.

The Chardonnay (80%) and Pinot Noir (20%) came from selected Marlborough vineyards. Grapes were hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, the extracted juice underwent primary fermentation at controlled temperatures. The base wines were blended, to achieve the desired balance and complexity characteristic of 'Cuvée Virginie', then bottled with the addition of a tirage liqueur, initiating the secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wine matured on its lees for 3 years and 9 months, before riddling, disgorging and the addition of a dosage to give the Extra Brut style, achieving a residual sugar level of 3.14 g/L.