The 2018 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir has a deep, clear ruby color. It is beautifully layered with fresh wild blackberries and herbal aromas such as sage, thyme, and mint. The lively flavor spreads with firm acidity, plum, rhubarb, and cola. It leads to a pleasant textured finish, fully expressing the strengths of 2018. Drink until around 2029. 2018 was an ideal vintage from bud break to harvest. In normal years, there are some weather concerns, such as a sudden drop in temperature in May, which drastically reduced the yield, or the extreme heat in August and September, which forced the harvest to be brought forward. However, 2018 was not like that. The yield was large, very healthy, and the grapes were of very good quality. It was even better than 2012, which was said to be a great vintage, and it was the best vintage in Freeman's 17th year of winemaking. This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is made with grapes from two unique vineyards, one in the southwest corner of the Sonoma Coast AVA and the other in the northwest corner. Yuki Estate, one of the two estate vineyards, has been planted since 2018 and has produced over 40 tons of excellent Pinot Noir. Located just above the town of Occidental, this vineyard is the coolest site planted with the 2A, 23, 114, 667, Calera and Mount Eden clones in this wine. Since 2010, Freeman has also been using Dijon clone 777, grown at Campbell Ranch near the town of Annapolis near the northwest corner of Sonoma County. The vineyard is managed by the Valdez family, who have always grown grapes that play an important role in this Sonoma Coast wine. Ulisses Valdes, who had been the head of cultivation for many years, unfortunately passed away in the middle of the 2018 vintage. 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 both lovers of elegant and sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and dreamed of one day making wine in California with the complex flavor and power to attract drinkers like Burgundy. In order to establish a winery that can rival the world, they began to inspect more than 300 fields and growers, focusing on vineyards planted on cool, gentle slopes. As a result, they chose the production area of Sonoma Valley, which is covered in fog and influenced by the cold sea breeze that blows inland from the coast. The grapes grown there mature slowly, retain fresh acidity, and grow 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-rich wines, but they were not influenced by such trends and 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 has been adopted by 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 it suddenly became a spotlight. 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.