Highlights
Toast to International Ties: Freeman Wines Featured at State Department
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, we had the honor of presenting our wines during a luncheon at the State Department, hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris to celebrate the visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan. Esteemed attendees included Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Featured wines were the 2022 Ryo-Fu West Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and the 2021 Akiko's Cuvee West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, both of which paired exquisitely with the seasonal menu, enhancing the culinary experience.
This prestigious event was not only a profound honor but also a testament to the deep cultural ties between the United States and Japan. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a significant occasion and look forward to fostering further connections through our shared appreciation for fine wine.
Historic Award for Akiko Freeman: The Green & White Medal for Agricultural Excellence
Akiko Freeman was recently honored with the Green & White Medal for Agricultural Excellence, becoming the first woman ever to receive this prestigious accolade. The ceremony, held at the Japanese Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles, recognized her for being the first Japanese winemaker with a wine served at the White House and her transformative approach to organic farming. Shinkichki Koyama, who presented the award, said of Akiko, “She worked very hard to achieve the best growing conditions on the property — irrigation, ensuring that the soil was well-drained and well-oxygenated — all with the long-term vision to produce better grapes under organic farming protocols.” Her efforts have significantly contributed to the agriculture sector, reinforcing Japan-USA relations. This milestone achievement underscores Akiko's pioneering role in the field.
We are honored that the White House featured our Ryo-fu Chardonnay at a recent State Dinner welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the United States.
LE.PAN: The small Sonoma winery with Asian ambitions; “We don’t manipulate anything. We just try to grow the best fruit and bring out the best of it. That’s our philosophy.”
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Pinot File
2012 Akiko's Cuvee named to the "All American Team.""Best Akiko's Cuvee Ever - 95 Points 2014 California Pinot Noir First Team All-Americans December 2014
2012 Freeman Akiko’s Cuvée Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir |
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The Somm Journal
The 2012 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast Featured in "California’s Côte d’Or"
Freeman Winery 2012 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($45) Silky and smooth with fresh black cherry and spice; savory and lush with notes of earth and toasty oak. 92 |
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Tasting Panel
Publisher's Pick
Japanese for “cool breeze,” Ryo-Fu is fragrant and perfumed with distinct—and exotic—perfume: jasmine, honeysuckle and other ethereal notes. White chocolate and caramel converge mid-palate with pretty notes of apples and pears and a light nuttiness. The mouthfeel is both grassy and stony. 100% French oak–fermented and aged sur lie for 14 months. |
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USA Today
Taste the wild Western Sonoma Coast
Budget a full morning visit here and take the three-mile self-guided hike that winds through first and second growth redwood forest, to the Yu-ki Vineyard. You'll enjoy Pacific Ocean views and a full picnic lunch of local cheeses, charcuterie and breads paired with a silky, complex Freeman pinot noir. |
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Blooberg Markets
Living the Winemaking Dream
OWNING A WINERY is many a wine lover’s secret fantasy, but few have made it work in reality as well as Ken Freeman, a managing director at Harpeth Capital LLC, and his wife, Akiko. After spending three years prowling the back roads of Sonoma County, the couple in 2001 paid $875,000 for a dilapidated winery and a run-down farmhouse on 3.6 acres (1.5 hectares) in Sebastopol, California. Now, they also own 22 acres of nearby vineyards—and their Freeman Vineyard & Winery sells 5,000 cases a year of su-perb pinot noir and chardon-nay at $35 to $55 a bottle... |
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