Champagne maker Daniel Le Brun was born in the village of Monthelon, in Champagne, France. He came to New Zealand in 1975 looking for land to develop into methode champenoise vineyards.

Winemaker Daniel Le Brun's family has produced champagne since 1648 and he continues the traditional methods at No. 1 Family Estate. Their wines have received local and international recognition.

At his Marlborough vineyard, winemaker Daniel Le Brun uses a Champagne Vaslin press to extract juice from bunches of the finest, hand-harvested grapes. The juice is then inoculated with yeast imported from the Institut d'oenologique in Epernay, France.

After the first fermentation, the master champagne-maker blends some of the previous vintage into the wine. He adds sugar and more yeast, and during this second fermentation the bubbles are born as the sugar consumes the yeast.

After the wine has rested for two years in cool, dark conditions, sediments are removed by "riddling" in gyro pallets. Liquer d'expedition adds a touch of sweetness to the bone-dry wine, which is then bottled and labelled as a No. 1 Family Estate methode traditionelle.