Good things take time, as the old saying goes, and it always strikes me as an incredible untapped opportunity to talk more about what time brings to the world's greatest sparkling wines. The pinnacle of great bubbly may traditionally have been champagne but there are sparkling wines that are modelled on it, made the same way and which can, as a result, give champagne a pretty good run for its money.
The wines from No 1 Family Estate in Marlborough are an extremely good case in point. Not least because this family's heritage stems back on its French side to the Champagne region - if you haven't already twigged, this is the Le Brun family, so it stands to reason that the wines they make takes the form of sparkling wines that benefit every year from a cellar full of reserve wines that are intentionally held back to add depth, complexity and consistency to the fresher, younger wines each year. This blending process is complex, takes time and represents an impressive and costly investment in flavour.
The process is a tricky one. Pick grapes when they retain freshness and a decent dose of acidity, ferment them separately, blend them into a finished wine, put it into a heavy bottle with a dose of yeast and grape sugar and give it a second fermentation. The longer it remains in the bottle following that fermentation, the more likely it is to develop layers of flavour, as the following wines show. And, to take it several steps further, keep back some of each year's stock in order to build up a range of wines with depth to draw on over the future.
No 1 Family Estate's wines speak for themselves. In my view, they over deliver layered flavours, fineness of bubble and length of flavour in every one of their sparkling wines.
These wines can't be made with shortcuts. They take time and are worth the patience - and expense.
The upcoming festive season (often, aptly called the silly season) is the ideal time to dive in and taste these great bubbly.
Here are my reviews of the latest from No 1 Family Estate.
New No 1 Family Estate wine reviews
19/20
No 1 Reine Cuvée Reserve RRP $67
Reine is a pretty new addition to the No 1 Family Estate range and it has already (within three years) forged a position as one of the best bubblies made in New Zealand. Lees ageing in the bottle for four years retains fabulous freshness and vibrancy while the palate has complex flavours from the blend of 50% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Meunier. The name Reine pays homage to Daniel Le Brun's late mother, who lived through some of the toughest years in the Champagne region during World War Two. This is a fitting tribute. It's also extremely dry in taste, which is one of the reasons it rates so highly with yours truly - a great sparkling wine.
18.5/20
No 1 Reserve RRP $110
Long ageing on yeast lees in the bottle for six and a half years brings great complexity and depth to every full bodied, dry sip of this limited edition bubbly - 1680 bottles were made of the latest release and made from 91% Chardonnay and 9% Pinot Noir. The two classic Champagne grape varieties contribute a combination of creamy, citrusy and toasty aromas to this full bodied, mouth filling, rich and toasty bubbly.
18.5/20
No 1 Family Estate Cuvee No 1 RRP $40
This is the flagship sparkling wine from No 1 Family Estate in Marlborough, made entirely from Chardonnay and given time make an ideal match in this full bodied bubbly from the Le Brun family in Marlborouogh. Extended ageing on yeast lees accentuates the creamy aromas, smooth flavours and richness of Chardonnay, which shines through in aromas and taste here. A portion is held back each year to spend a longer time on lees to become No 1 Reserve.
18.5/20
No 1 Rosé RRP $49
No 1 Rosé is one of the top pink sparkling wines made in Aotearoa New Zealand each year and remains consistently savoury in flavour, thanks to two years on lees in bottle. It is essentially a blanc de noir - made entirely from Pinot Noir - which lends this wine its dry taste, toasty subtlety and full-body.
17.5/20
No 1 Assemblé RRP $36
Two years ageing on lees in the bottle, a dry style and a blend of 57% Chardonnay and 43% Pinot Noir all give this bubbly the edge as the gateway sparkling wine for No 1 Family Estate. Complex freshly baked sweet apple pastry aromas are followed up by a delicious crisp mid palate and stone fruit on the finish. Good value and good drinking over the next three years.
Learn more about and buy No 1 bubbles here.
