Producer and Wine Highlight - Freeman Vineyard and Winery

Hello, everybody, and welcome again to Cèpage et Cuisine, our wine and food blog.  Today we are highlighting Freeman Vineyard & Winery, a producer from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County whose wines we really enjoy.

Mary and I learned about Freeman on a trip to the California wine country a couple of years ago.  We called the winery and talked to Eric Buffington, the assistant winemaker.  He met us at the winery and gave us a great tour and tasting of Freeman wines.  We immediately fell in love with the wines.  They have California fruit, but they also have elegance and balance.  They are not overripe, not too high in alcohol.  They are delicious on their own, but also pair wonderfully with food.

The proprietors of Freeman are Ken and Akiko Freeman.  Akiko is Japanese and brings a delightful cultural influence to her wines.  In addition to wines from the Russian River Valley, Freeman also produces wines from the Sonoma Coast appellation and from single vineyards within the Russian River Valley.  The vineyards and the winery are in cool growing regions where they are influenced by coastal breezes and fog in western Sonoma County.  True to the topography and the climate, they produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Today, I'm highlighting the Chardonnay.

On the label you see the Japanese words "Ryo-fu" and two Kanji characters.  The English interpretation is "cool breeze," reflecting the climate where the grapes are grown in the Russian River Valley and the balance and elegance of the wine.

I recently opened the 2004 vintage of the Freeman Chardonnay.  Like certain other wines in our collection, we open them only for particularly enjoyable occasions on a weekend, with guests, or a special meal.  They are not all that expensive, but I just don't want to run out!  Here are my notes on the wine.

Freeman Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2004.
New World in style, but balanced and elegant, it had a weight and richness that reflected its California roots.  Golden in color in the stem, the aroma profile reflected wonderful lemon, apple, peach, hazelnut, and a subtle oak influence, not at all overpowering.  The palate was smooth, creamy, and full-bodied.  The acidity was medium and the balance very nice.  Lemon creme, apple, perhaps banana, that same subtle spice quality, perhaps a nutmeg, and well integrated oak were all on the palate.  The barrel influence was not the star and did not diminish the fruit character of the wine.  With a bit of time in the glass, it developed a delightful caramel or butterscotch quality.  Complex, balanced, and with nice length, it is excellent and showing well at six years.  It has more heft and a little more alcohol than a white Burgundy, but it shows its geographic origin without being overblown, which is more than can be said for many California Chardonnays.  14.2% alcohol.  We paid $30 for this wine.

That's our post for today.  Check the blog again for more wine and food posts at Cèpage et Cuisine.  In the meantime,

Cheers,
Brian♥Mary