No.1 Family Estate was founded in Marlborough by Daniel Le Brun, a 12th-generation vigneron from Champagne, and his wife Adele, following Daniel's pioneering role in New Zealand methode traditionnelle from the 1980s. The house works with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown on Marlborough's Wairau Valley gravels, whose free-draining alluvial soils and cool climate give the high natural acidity that traditional-method sparkling demands. The Reine Cuvee Reserve is a tribute to Daniel's mother, Reine Vautrelle Le Brun, built as a non-vintage blend from estate and Marlborough fruit picked early to preserve freshness and finesse.

Grapes were whole-bunch pressed and the base wines fermented dry before blending. The cuvee underwent secondary fermentation in bottle in the traditional method, followed by extended maturation on lees to build brioche and autolytic complexity, then riddling and disgorgement. Finished as an Extra Brut with a low dosage of 2.8 g/L, it shows a fine mousse, orchard fruit and citrus with a poised, structured and harmonious finish.