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Join us on October 24, 25 & 26, 2008

Pinot On The River is a full-immersion weekend of Pinot Noir, featuring a full program of in-depth tastings and seminars, vineyard tours and sumptuous food. Sit with the winemakers and other Pinot-loving consumers as we focus on highly-allocated, limited production West Coast Pinot Noirs. From Friday's kickoff dinner to a Saturday of intimate Pinot seminars and tastings all the way through Sunday's "Pinot Noir Grand Tasting," if you love Pinot Noir, it's a weekend you must not miss.

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Freeman Vineyard & Winery, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir "Akiko's Cuvée" 2006 ($52):

This is fabulous Pinot Noir. Akiko Freeman, who has no formal training in winemaking and is technically the assistant winemaker, put together an outstanding blend using wines made from grapes grown in 12 different vineyards. Leafy, gamey and even slightly smoky elements meld seamlessly with the sweet ripe fruit flavors found in their regular Sonoma Coast bottling. The complexity is readily apparent in a seemingly endless finish. This beautifully balanced and polished wine shows Pinot Noir's unique ability to combine savory and sweet elements simultaneously. I have all too often spent far more money on far less interesting Pinot Noirs.

96 Michael Apstein May 20, 2008

World's 30 Best Pinot Noirs

Despite its reputation as tough to grow, great Pinot Noir is being produced all over the world. Senior wine editor Ray Isle tasted nearly 150 bottles, and these came out on top.
BY RAY ISLE

2006 FREEMAN SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR ($44)
After honing his skills at California boutique Pinot producer Testarossa, winemaker Ed Kurtzman joined this startup Sonoma-based winery in 2003. His experience is evident in this seductive, dark-fruited red; though its full-bodied and lush, it still shows classic Pinot Noir structure and elegance.

2005 Freeman Pinot Noir - Russian River Valley scored 97 on Vintrust sommselections sonoma stunners.

Ken and Akiko Freeman are both card-carrying Pinot fanatics. They launched Freeman Vineyards to produced singularly elegant Pinot Noir and, boy, have they achieved that goal. The third member of the Freeman team is Winemaker Ed Kurtzman (formerly of Chalone, Testarossa and currently also partner and winemaker at August est Wines). Ed and the Freemans have really dialed in on a beautiful, focused style of Pinot. The three of them work together in just about every aspect of the winemaking process. But in many ways it's Ed's amazing affinity and intuition for Pinot that translates their collective vision into wines that really sing. Freeman Pinots are sourced from several Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley vineyards including Bailey Vineyard, Guidici Vineyard, Keefer Ranch, Meredith Estate, O'Connor Vineyard, Rayhill Vineyard and Thorn Ridge. Pinot bottlings include regional Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley blends, a vineyard designate from Keefer Ranch and the Akiko's Cuvee. The style is deep, lush, spicy fruit with great structure and silky, silky texture.

MAKE ROOM IN THE CELLAR! «Balanced with great structure...» Freeman Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Akiko's Cuvee 2005 Deep ruby color; slightly closed on the nose, but deep, blackcherry, spice and tea aromas are present; deep, full and rich black cherry, spice and earthy notes, intense flavors; sweet oak; great structure and balance; long finish. The depth of flavor and complexity of this Pinot is incredible it's a bit closed, but with an hour or more of air it opens up nicely. Great for the cellar; great for the table! 375 cases made $48 Score: 96 Freeman Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Keefer Ranch Vineyard 2005 Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex spice and cherry aromas; plush and rich with a core of juicy cherry fruit; lots of cinnamon, spice and sweet oak notes; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Amazing depth, plush fruit and great structure that produces layers and layers of flavor. 440 cases made $45 Score: 96

Freeman Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2005 Medium-deep ruby color; cinnamon, spice and black cherry aromas; lush, rich and full black cherry fruit with spice, cinnamon notes and a touch of sweet oak; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Lush and rich, this Pinot is so silky in the mouth that you might want to just drink it by itself. 814 cases made $38 Score: 94

Freeman Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2005 Deep ruby color; spicy, black cherry, plum and tea aromas; deep, full and rich black cherry fruit with spices, tea and earthy notes; bit of toasty oak, great structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot has great depth and structure that will allow it to improve in the cellar. If you drink it now, give it some air and pair it with grilled meats or an earthy mushroom pasta. 858 cases made $38 Score: 94

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2005 Freeman Vineyard Chardonnay Ryo-Fu Russian River Valley
Score: 90

Bright straw. Exotic aromas of iodine, lime zest, jasmine and smoked meat strongly suggest Burgundy, with a seductive licorice note adding complexity. Firm, dry citrus and quince flavors are nicely concentrated and focused, with a bright mineral note building with aeration. Finishes with impressive sappy length and a persistent citrus pith note. Intriguing stuff.

2005 Freeman Vineyard Pinot Noir Akiko's Cuvee Sonoma Coast
Score: 91

2005 Freeman Vineyard Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Russian River Valley
Score: 91

Medium red. Smoky, floral-accented raspberry and redcurrant aromas, plus a bright mineral hint. Fresh and focused, with bright red berry flavors, fine-grained tannins and a refreshing suggestion of orange peel on the finish. Nicely balanced, elegant pinot, with impressive purity and finishing persistence. (JR)

"There's nothing like a sense of timing. In 2002, Ken and Akiko Freeman made their first two bottlings—a Russian River and a Sonoma Coast—after having visited 200 potential vineyard sources scattered between Santa Barbara and Mendocino. "It was crucial for us to have developed the relationships when we did, because now you just can't get [new sources of outstanding] Pinot grapes," says Ken, 44, who, in addition to a full-time banking job in San Francisco, handles distribution and relations with their 11 growers...."

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Allen Meadows' Burghound.com.

2004 Russian River Pinot Noir: Score 90 Drink 2008+

Tasting note: A pure, spicy and high-toned red pinot fruit nose combines with a bass note of earth that continues onto the rich, sweet and beautifully detailed middle weight flavors that possess real complexity on the sappy, intense, delineated and nicely powerful finish. This offers the classic pinot characteristic of power without weight and I particularly like the vibrancy and driving finish. The only nit is a hint of finishing warmth but overall, this is a really lovely effort crafted in an understated style. Recommended.

Best of Russian River Pinot Noirs.
Thursday,August 17, 2006

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: Pinot Noir issue: July 2006:

** 92: Freeman Keefer Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2004
While we might argue that this opulent wine's bias to ripeness and it's slight edge of latter palate heat are not necessarily the classic mark of Russian River Pinot Noir, there is never any hint of heaviness about the wine, and it's intense, ongoing perfectly focused fruit speaks directly to it's famed appellation. A bigger and more deeply case effort than its very successful sibling, it is downright succulent from beginning to end and will make an ideal mate for the likes of lighter lamb dishes or a thickly cut veal chop.

* 90: Freeman Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2004
Very ripe, keenly defined, ripe-cherry fruitiness is given a nice boost in richness from a careful complement of creamy oak in both the nose and the flavors of this rich but wonderfully well balanced bottling and wine tempers its richness with a fine sense of brightness and vitality. Medium-full-bodied and slightly velvety in feel, it sustains quite well at the finish and hit all the marks that fine Pinot should.

Aug 31, 2006 issue

Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2004
90 points
"Excellent structure, aromas of white pepper, wild berry and raspberry that carry over to the palate in an intense, concentrated manner, finishing with a burst of fruit and cola. Drink now through 2009. 814 cases made. (JL)"

International Wine Cellar May/ June 2006

90+ Akiko's Cuvee Pinot Noir 2004
Medium red. Perfumed aroma of crushed raspberry. Sweet and aromatic in the mouth, with almost Chambolle-like flavors of red berries, spices flowers and smoked meat. This possesses an excellent core of fruit and very good length.

90 Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir 2004
Medium fresh red color. Aromatic nose combines strawberry, flowers and loamy earth: this reminded me of a Savigny-les Beaune. Sweet plump and spicy, with surprisingly firm acid giving it's good grip.Quite penetrating and persistent. Perhaps the most elegant of this 2004 line-up of Pinots, which all carry alcohol levels in the low 14s.

Exceptional

2004 Freeman Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Keefer Vineyard ($45): Pale red; classy strawberry and spice, with rose and pepper nuances. Elegant, racy acidity and a lovely overall balance.

2004 Freeman Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, "Akiko's Cuvée" ($48): Beet and herbal notes, with deep, beefier fruit flavors; still relatively elegant and with nice acidity. Needs at least two more years.

WINE OF TIMES
No More Slingshots at Goliath

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Freeman Vineyards & Winery

I first met Ken and Akiko Freeman at World of Pinot Noirin 2004we sat together at the Friday night dinner. Its hard to imagine two more gracious and pleasant people. At thetime, we chatted about their just-released first wines from the2002 vintage and their winery located just to the west ofSebastopol. The he poured some of the Freeman 2002Sonoma Coasthe really had my attention after that. The third member of the Freeman team is Winemaker Ed Kurtzman (formerly of Chalone, Testarossa and currentlyalso partner and winemaker at August West Wines). Ed andthe Freemans have really dialed in on a beautiful, focused style of Pinot. Reviews of their 2003 Sonoma Coast and SonomaCoast Akikos Cuvee bottlings appear in this issues "In TheMarket" section beginning on page 7. I recently visited thewinery and tasted through the 2004 lots in barrel including two barrel lots of Chardonnay. Here are my preliminaryimpressions:

2004 Klopp Ranch: Lots of deep cola, sassafras and spicearomas; rich and lush with a deep core of black cherry fruit.

2004 Meredith Estate: We tasted two lots from MerryEdwards vineyard. The clone 777 had great structure anddeep, spicy fruit flavors. The Swan selection lot was a bitlighter and more delicate with lots of silky black cherry flavors.

2004 Bailey Vineyard: This is a small vineyard near thewinery; lots of spicy, cinnamon aromas with deep, juicy darkfruit flavors.

2004 Keefer Ranch: We tasted two lots from this greatvineyard in Green Valley. The clone 777 was clean and richwith Asian spice aromas and a deep core of juicy black cherryfruit. The clone 23 was a bit more earthy, still rich with black fruit and spicearomatic and very pretty.

The two Chardonnay lots, a 2004 Heintz Ranch and a 2004 Black Emerald Vineyard, could not have been moredifferent and yet still held together stylistically quite well. TheHeintz Ranch was ripe and crisp with great structure and lotsof bright appley fruit; the Black Emerald Vineyard lot was rich, spicy and full of lots of tropical fruit flavors.

These are definitely wines to be on the lookout forif you canfind either of the 2003 Pinot bottlings, Id recommendsnapping them up and giving them a try.

Freeman wines have won accolades two years in a row at the Starwine International Wine competition. Starwine's dream team, consisting of 60 of the world's finest sommeliers, assembles each year to taste, discuss and evaluate more than 2,000 wines from around the world. This year, Starwine awarded our 2003 Akiko's Cuvé a Gold medal, its top honor, as well as a Silver medal for our 2003 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Last year, our 2002 vintages also received a medal at this prestigious annual competition.

October 2005 Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: Pinot Noir issue:

93: Freeman, Akiko's Cuvee Sonoma Coast 2003
As good as Freeman's successful Sonoma Coast bottling below may be, this special lot is by all measures a slightly deeper and more concentrated wine yet. It leads with very rich, fruit-laden aromas of ripe cherries and sweet oak and follows with dense, impressively extracted, long-lasting flavors. Its tailored tannins promise improvement with time, and its stunning depth insures a good five years of growth.

91: Freeman, Sonoma Coast 2003
Themes of well-ripened cherries are overlain by touches of dried brush and notes of sweet oak spice in its attractive mid-density nose, yet the wine ups the ante in terms of richness and range once in the mouth. Its deep and vital flavors show lots of polish and poise, and they exhibit an intriguing, layered mix of focused fruit, cocoa and cream. Smooth without being soft, and nicely sustained at the finish, it can be enjoyed in the near term or set aside for a few years of growth.

We are thrilled to report that Freeman wines are receiving their highest accolades yet with the release of our second vintage in March 2005.

We are particularly honored by the most recent scores and comments issued by the Wine Spectator, one of the industrys leading publications:

Wine Spectator (October 2005) called Freeman " New star using Sonoma grapes."

Freeman Pinot Noir Akikos Cuvé 2003
91 points
"Aromas of ripe black cherry, wild berry and nutmeg pour through on the palate, supported by firm, tight tannins. Its a bit closed now, though the flavors are long and persistent, offering excellent acidity and concentration. Best from 2006 through 2011."

Freeman Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2003
90 points
"Ripe, plump and fleshy, with a strawberry-rhubarb pie note to the core flavors. Flinty tannins and acidity have a minerally edge and the flavors are rich and concentrated, building to a long, intense finish. Best from 2006 through 2010."

We will complete construction of a 6,000 square-foot cave in summer 2005, the perfect site for cellaring our wines and enjoying dinners with fellow wine lovers in the caves capacious central dining room.

Our 2003 vintages were released in March 2005. If you are interested in ordering our wines, please take a moment to add your name to our online mailing list (see signup list under "Contact") and we will be in touch. We apologize that by law we are only able to ship alcoholic beverages to the states listed below:

CA, CO, FL, IA, ID, IL, MN, MO, NC, NE, ND, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV

If you live in a state the prohibits direct shipment of wine to private individuals, please provide an acceptable alternate shipping address or contact the winery directly for other available options.