This estate wine is named after the owner Akiko's nephew. The first vintage was in 2013. Yuki Estate is Freeman's own vineyard located on a hill 300m above sea level, about 8km inland from the Pacific Ocean near the village of Occidental. 2007 Year
The vineyard, which the Lehmans purchased, was named after Akiko Freeman's nephew (Yuki) because it is surrounded by large redwood trees. To protect the trees, they donated part of the property (approximately 9 hectares) to the Bodega Land Trust. The grapes are planted with heritage and Dijon clones. Yuki's vineyard consists of five different plots. Currently, the grapes from the three plots used for winemaking are Dijon clones (114,667,828) and Swiss clones (Mariafeld/clone 23, Wadenswil/clone 2A). In the future, grapes from the remaining two plots will be used, which are planted with two heritage clones, Mt. Eden and Calera. Freeman Vineyard & Winery was founded in 2001 by Ken Freeman and his wife Akiko, who is from Roppongi. 15 years ago, when the two had just met, they hit it off as lovers of elegant and sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and dreamed of one day making wines in California with the complex flavors of Burgundy and the power to attract drinkers. In order to establish a winery that could rival the world, they began to inspect over 300 fields and growers, focusing on vineyards planted on cool, gentle slopes. As a result, they chose the Sonoma Valley production area, which is covered in fog and influenced by the cold sea breeze that blows inland from the coast. The grapes grown there mature slowly, retaining fresh acidity, and growing very pure and rich in flavor. In the 2000s, when Freeman was founded, California was in the midst of a boom in the production and consumption of fruit-rich wines, but they are not influenced by such trends and have stuck to their belief of brewing balanced and elegant wines based on organic farming. As a result, Freeman's wine style has attracted attention not only in California but also around the world, and it has been 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, who invited Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the winery was suddenly thrown into the limelight. As of 2019, Akiko is the only Japanese female winemaker who owns a winery and vineyards in California, and continues to produce modest, sharp, high-quality wines.