The wine is very youthful, light and clear, and the aroma is typical of Riesling, with fresh Gravenstein apple, peach compote, lemongrass, and a hint of fig. In the mouth, the lively acidity envelops the bright, fruity flavor, and the dry finish is not sweet from residual sugar. This trocken-style Riesling is delicious when opened now, and can be enjoyed at least until around 2027. The first vintage of the Riesling, "Kofu," was born when our good friends, Mr. and Mrs. Perry, asked us if we would like to make Riesling from their Abigail's Vineyard, located across the road from our winery. Akiko herself drinks Riesling regularly, and especially likes Riesling from Alsace, so this aromatic variety was the perfect fit for Freeman, which makes varieties other than Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Abigail's Vineyard was planted exclusively with Pinot Noir in the mid-1990s, primarily for sparkling wine, but in 2019, the Perrys, along with their friend and talented winemaker Ross Cobb, replanted over two acres of Pinot Noir with Riesling (clone 17). They believed that, like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Riesling would also benefit from the region's long, cool, foggy growing season and become a great grape.
Their prediction proved correct when they harvested the first Riesling in 2021. Riesling is an early-ripening variety with lower sugar levels and higher acidity than other varieties.
The 2022 Riesling matured early, was harvested at 21 Brix, the same acidity as sparkling wine, and was barrel fermented. Like Chardonnay, it was fermented in old barrels, and the biggest difference in brewing is that malolactic fermentation is not performed to maintain the refreshing mouthfeel of Riesling. 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 elegant and sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir lovers, and dreamed of one day making wine in California with the complex flavor of Burgundy and the power to attract drinkers. In order to establish a winery that can rival the world, we began inspecting more than 300 fields and growers, mainly vineyards planted on cool, gentle slopes. As a result, we chose the production area of Sonoma Valley, which is covered in fog and influenced by the cold sea breezes blowing inland from the coast. The grapes grown there ripen slowly, retaining fresh acidity, and are 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.