Winery Information
Freeman Vineyards & Winery was founded in 2001 by Ken Freeman and his wife Akiko, a Roppongi native.
Fifteen years ago, when the two had just met, they had hit it off as lovers of elegant and sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They hoped to one day create a wine in California that would have the complex flavor and the ability to draw drinkers in, similar to Burgundy. We dreamed of making wine with our own hands.
In order to establish a winery that can rival the world, we began to inspect over 300 vineyards and growers, focusing on vineyards planted on cool, gentle slopes. As a result, we chose the Sonoma Valley region, which is covered in fog and influenced by the cold sea breezes that blow inland from the coast. The grapes grown there ripen slowly, retaining fresh acidity and growing very pure and rich in flavor.
When Freeman was founded in the 2000s, California was in the midst of a boom in the production and consumption of fruit-forward wines, but the company remained uninfluenced by such trends and stuck to its belief of brewing well-balanced, elegant wines based on organic farming.
As a result, Freeman's wine style began to attract attention not only in California but also around the world, and its wines were included on the wine lists of famous restaurants around the world, growing into a small but well-known brand.
In April 2015, the 2013 vintage of Ryofu Chardonnay was served at the White House official dinner hosted by former President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and it suddenly became the center of attention.
As of 2019, Akiko is the only Japanese female winemaker and owner of a winery and vineyard in California, and she continues to produce modest, sharp, high-quality wines.