No 1 Family Estate

Marlborough

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.

Manager and Winemaker

Lee Dobson Winery

Lee Dobson is the Winery Manager and Winemaker. He joined the estate in 2003, working in both the winery and vineyard. After more than a decade of experience, Lee has become well-versed in the production of ‘Méthode Traditionelle’ wines. His role is hands-on and diverse, encompassing various aspects of the winemaking process.

Lee collaborates closely with Daniel Le Brun in crafting the estate's acclaimed sparkling wines. Making sparkling wine in the true ‘Champagne method’ is a meticulous process which requires patience. Following harvest, grapes are gently pressed, and fermented, after which wines are blended, and bottled with a ‘liquer de tirage’ which promotes a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wines are aged for at least 18 months before disgorgement and final bottling.

Lee has become a master of this precise process, as demonstrated by the Estate’s elegant and refined sparkling wines.

New Zealand’s Sparkling Wine Pioneer

In the early days, as he pioneered growing techniques and production methods unknown in New Zealand at the time, Daniel Le Brun became known as 'the crazy Frenchman'.
But Daniel could see that the climate and soils of Marlborough would make crisp and acidic wine that would age beautifully, perfect for really good sparkling wine.

The cool maritime climate is similar to Champagne, ensuring slow ripening and high acidity, crucial for sparkling wines. The sunshine hours are plentiful, helping develop fruit purity and elegance. And cool nights preserve freshness and delicate aromatics.

The vineyard lies in the river bed of the Wairau River. It is mainly flat terrain with soil that is a mixture of river stones, sandy loams and gravels which are ideal for growing the traditional champagne clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.