Freeman Winery

West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

The TTB approved the West Sonoma Coast appellation in the spring of 2022, just in time for us to bottle our 2021 West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The excellent 2021 vintage was a welcome contrast to the 2020 growing season, which was interrupted by the wildfires that spread across Sonoma County in late August. Due to the fires and accompanying smoke, we were unable to produce a 2020 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Our own Yu-ki Estate vineyard, which includes 13 acres of Pinot Noir grown on some of the steepest slopes in the West Sonoma Coast appellation, provided all 53 of the barrels that went into this wine. As Yu-ki matures, the vineyard becomes more and more of a prime example of what cool climate Pinot Noir can achieve so close to the Pacific Ocean. Every Pinot clone planted at Yu-ki is represented in the 2021 West Sonoma Coast, including the heritage clones Calera and Mt. Eden, along with Swiss clones 2A Wadenswil and 23 Mariafeld—two of our favorites at Freeman—and Dijon clones 114, 667 and 828.

The 2021 West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is reminiscent of a young Savigny-lès-Beaune, with its subtle nose of Asian spices, floral notes and wet earth. There is considerable tannin on the understated palate, which opens up nicely with a decanting and some time in the glass. The tannins soften and allow the well-balanced acidity and beautiful, berry flavors to come through. Give the ’21 West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir a few years in the cellar. It should drink beautifully from 2025 through 2037.