Spend just five minutes with proprietors Adele and Daniel Le Brun and I guarantee you’ll want to spend 500 more. Together they offer a wealth of knowledge about wine. Daniel is a Méthode Traditionnelle wine genius, Adele an exceptionally gifted marketer, and together they are modern wine pioneers of New Zealand.
The story of the No.1 Family Estate brand is like so many stories about wine; a long journey through incredibly hard work that today produces some of the best sparkling wines in New Zealand, easily rivalling other cuvées from around the globe including from Champagne. Daniel is a 12th generation Le Brun: the family lineage dates to the 1600s in Champagne, France. After meeting Adele and moving to Marlborough they grew their business literally from the ground up – this included Daniel establishing their first vineyard from cuttings he acquired.
Sometimes the best way to understand excellent wine is when it is paired with equally excellent yet simple food. The Cuvée No.1 Blanc de Blancs NV is the perfect apéritif, aromas of citrus and fresh butter brioche, the autolysis intensity increases as the wine opens out in glass, complexity and fruit spice, flower, mineral and wet pebble minerality. Try with a bowl of freshly steamed, green-lipped mussels in a tomato concassé and white wine broth.
Recipe pairing: Green-Lipped Mussels and Frites
The Estate ‘Assemblé’ Methode Traditionelle NV has a bouquet and palate of white strawberry and peach, the lees autolysis is precise and fragrant, with a soft and gentle oatmeal/brioche complexity. Crisp, dry and textured with a polished creamy mousse, this wine is delicious alongside pan-seared John Dory fillet with a butter, lemon and caper sauce.
Recipe pairing: Blue-Eye Cod with Fennel, Tomato & Capers
There are numerous food pairings with the No.1 Family Estate Rosé NV. A favourite of mine is oven-roasted salmon with a coating of miso and served with rice and a touch of soy. The weight and richness of this dish is easily met by the rosé with its core of red berry fruit flavours, with an acid line easily contrasting with the oiliness of the fish.
Recipe pairing: Miso Salmon with Green Tea Noodle Salad Recipe
The recent release of the No.1 Family Estate ‘Reine’ Cuvée NV offers aromas and flavours of white-fleshed orchard fruits and citrus swathed in a fresh butter brioche autolysis, and with nut and honey highlights this wine is complete and complex. A voluminous mousse, satin-cream texture, backbone of acidity and lengthy finish give this wine the frame and flavour to pair perfectly with a thyme roasted chicken breast with a mushroom and cream sauce.
Recipe pairing: Thyme-baked Chicken with Black Pudding Stuffing
No tasting is complete without the penultimate ‘Reserve’ Blanc de Blancs NV. This limited-edition wine has a fantastic bouquet and palate, complex and layered with a core of citrus fruits and developed autolysis, lemon and white peach, oven fresh oatmeal biscuits and brioche, honeysuckle and wet river stone mineral highlights. What to pair with such a delicious wine is definitely a challenge, yet I find the best pairing is often just cheese, such as an époisses or long-aged gouda.
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