Freeman Winery

Ryo-fu Chardonnay

Ryo-fu is Japanese for “cool breeze.” The cool, foggy breeze that comes off the Pacific Ocean allows the Russian River Valley to grow the highest quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sandy loam soil is crucial as well, but without the right temperatures, the fruit could ripen too soon or not at all. Thanks to our local Ryo-fu, the growing seasons are perfectly timed for our vineyards.

After the very late harvest of 2023, things got back to normal in 2024 with a series of small heat waves during the month of September. That is very typical for coastal California, including the Russian River Valley, where our Ryo-fu Chardonnay grows. Right after all the Pinot Noir was harvested in late August through mid-September, we began picking Chardonnay from these four excellent vineyards into early October.

For the second year in a row, Maddocks Vineyard made up the largest share of the Ryo-fu. Maddocks is located off of Green Valley Road, not far from KR Ranch. It was planted in 1987 to the See’s Selection of Chardonnay, which is an offshoot of Wente. Freeman’s vineyard manager for Gloria and Yu-ki, Art Robledo, does the farming at Maddocks, and 2024 was our second year working with Maddocks.
Another site we first sourced in 2023 is the Dutton Ranch Big Block, located on Graton Road in the Green Valley. This section of Dutton was planted by Warren Dutton in 1995 with the Raffo Selection, another version of Wente Chardonnay.

A new Chardonnay source for the 2024 Ryo-fu comes from Iron Horse. It was originally planted in the 1970s by Rodney Strong and purchased by the Sterling family in 1976. Ken and Akiko Freeman have known the Sterlings for decades, and it was an honor to work with their Chardonnay. Iron Horse was one of the wineries in the 1990s who were integral in getting the Green Valley approved as an appellation within the Russian River Valley.

The only Chardonnay vineyard represented in every Ryo-fu we’ve ever produced is Heintz Ranch. Heintz is located just northeast of the town of Occidental, on the western edge of the Russian River Valley appellation. Since 2003, Freeman has purchased the same block of Chardonnay from Charlie Heintz which he planted in 1982. The Chardonnay that comes from Heintz gives the Ryo-fu its elegant, stone fruit and old-world character. We even selected 10 barrels of Heintz to go into its own vineyard-designated Chardonnay, but most of the Heintz is found in our 2024 Ryo-fu.

The 2024 Freeman Ryo-fu Chardonnay starts with a very fragrant nose of lemon zest, summer peaches, fresh apricots and a hint of crème brûlée. The fruit flavors on the nose come through on the palate with the addition of crisp apples. Balanced and refreshing acidity bring the ’24 Ryo-fu to a brilliant finish that lasts for several minutes. Try this in 2026 while giving it plenty of aeration, and enjoy it through 2032.