Highlights
Toast to International Ties: Freeman Wines Featured at State Department
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, we had the honor of presenting our wines during a luncheon at the State Department, hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris to celebrate the visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan. Esteemed attendees included Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Featured wines were the 2022 Ryo-Fu West Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and the 2021 Akiko's Cuvee West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, both of which paired exquisitely with the seasonal menu, enhancing the culinary experience.
This prestigious event was not only a profound honor but also a testament to the deep cultural ties between the United States and Japan. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a significant occasion and look forward to fostering further connections through our shared appreciation for fine wine.
Historic Award for Akiko Freeman: The Green & White Medal for Agricultural Excellence
Akiko Freeman was recently honored with the Green & White Medal for Agricultural Excellence, becoming the first woman ever to receive this prestigious accolade. The ceremony, held at the Japanese Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles, recognized her for being the first Japanese winemaker with a wine served at the White House and her transformative approach to organic farming. Shinkichki Koyama, who presented the award, said of Akiko, “She worked very hard to achieve the best growing conditions on the property — irrigation, ensuring that the soil was well-drained and well-oxygenated — all with the long-term vision to produce better grapes under organic farming protocols.” Her efforts have significantly contributed to the agriculture sector, reinforcing Japan-USA relations. This milestone achievement underscores Akiko's pioneering role in the field.
We are honored that the White House featured our Ryo-fu Chardonnay at a recent State Dinner welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the United States.
LE.PAN: The small Sonoma winery with Asian ambitions; “We don’t manipulate anything. We just try to grow the best fruit and bring out the best of it. That’s our philosophy.”
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LE PAN
The small Sonoma winery with Asian ambitions
Akiko Freeman hopes to win Japanese and Hong Kong hearts with her Pinot Noir May 2015
Akiko Freeman and her team at the Freeman Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley AVA, make less than 5,000 cases per year of their widely acclaimed Burgundy style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They could easily sell every bottle locally, but she and her husband Ken – who runs an investment firm in San Francisco – lived in Hong Kong during the 1990s, and are keen to have their wines appreciated in a city they grew to love. Those wines are a labor of love. Akiko became enamored of wine – and of Burgundy in particular- while growing up in Japan. Akiko Freeman and her team at the Freeman Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley AVA, make less than 5,000 cases per year of their widely acclaimed Burgundy style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They could easily sell every bottle locally, but she and her husband Ken – who runs an investment firm in San Francisco – lived in Hong Kong during the 1990s, and are keen to have their wines appreciated in a city they grew to love. Those wines are a labor of love. Akiko became enamored of wine – and of Burgundy in particular- while growing up in Japan. - See more at: http://www.lepanmedia.com/the-small-sonoma-winery-with-asian-ambitions/#sthash.sufQjjfb.dpuf |
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People Magazine
The White House State Dinner Menu Is Making Us Very Hungry and Very Jealous
The new china has been selected and the menu is set for Tuesday night’s White House State Dinner. So it’s time to feast. President Obama and Michelle Obama are hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie Abe, for the dinner-to-remember on April 28. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is the guest chef for the evening, joining the culinary forces of White House executive chef Cris Comerford and executive pastry chef Susan Morrison to create a one-of-a-kind menu. “I am deeply honored to be the guest chef for tomorrow’s #StateDinner at the @whitehouse hosted by President @barackobama and First Lady @michelleobama in honor of Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe of #Japan!” the Japanese chef posted to Instagram. The first course, Toro Tartare and Caesar Sashimi Salad (pictured below), is wrapped in clear acetate and tied with a Mizuhiki cord, Yahoo Food reports. The second course, Vegetable Consomme En Croute and Shikai Maki, is a tribute to FLOTUS’s kitchen garden. The main course is American Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables and Maui Onion Veal Jus. The showstopper of the evening is definitely dessert, which includes a blown sugar teapot decorated with edible cherry blossoms and surrounded by petit fours as well as cheesecake made of silken tofu and soy milk with Florida berries and White House honey. The dinner will include a sake toast and three American wines, all from California: the 2013 Ryo- fu Chardonnay from Freeman Vineyard & Winery, founded by Ken and Akiko Freeman in Sebastopol; the 2010 Joli Coeur Pinot Noir from Morlet Family Vineyards in St. Helena; and the 2007 Russian River Cuvee sparkling wine from Iron Horse Vineyards, also in Sebastopol. Cherry blossoms are the decor du jour for the dinner, with Washington’s signature flowers gracing everything from the red chopsticks to the table’s centerpieces. And that’s not all! The guests will be entertained by the stars of the film Jersey Boys. Sounds like quite the party. —Morgan Gibson, @morgangibson |
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Forbes
Seven Great California Pinot Noirs to Try This Year
2013 Freeman Akiko’s Cuvée Sonoma Coast—Think cool-climate winemaking elegance and you have the essence of the Freeman wines. Winemaker, Akiko Freeman, grew up in Japan and brings an innate sense of balance to her wine. The cuvée bottling, a blend of the winery’s best barrels each vintage is especially gorgeous with notes of black cherry, violets and earth. |
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i-winereview
International Wine Review BlogFreeman 2013 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Releases from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast ...In sum, they are well-made and delicious drinking. The Pinot Noirs are fruit forward and ripe with dark lush red fruit flavors and earthy nuances. However, some of the wines would benefit from a tad more structure on the backend and finish. Our favorite in the red wine line up was the Pinot Noir Gloria Estate; it is elegant and refined and perfectly balanced with good acidity on the finish. The Chardonnay Ryo-fu with its fruitiness and restrained use of oak was also a winner... |
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Pinot File
2012 Akiko's Cuvee named to the "All American Team.""Best Akiko's Cuvee Ever - 95 Points 2014 California Pinot Noir First Team All-Americans December 2014
2012 Freeman Akiko’s Cuvée Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir |
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Madame FIGARO.jp
ホワイトハウスが認めた醸造家、アキコ・フリーマンのワインとは？
この4月、岸田文雄首相の米国訪問の際、公式昼食会で供されたのがカリフォルニアで日本人の女性醸造家が造るワイン。優雅さと品格に満ちたワインを生み出すアキコ・フリーマンとは？
2024年4月の岸田文雄首相の訪米は記憶に新しいが、実は11日にカマラ・ハリス副大統領が開催した岸田首相を招いてのアメリカ国務省公式昼食会でふるまわれたのが、カリフォルニアで日本人女性醸造家アキコ・フリーマンが造る「フリーマン・ヴィンヤード&ワイナリー」のワインだったのだ。レセプションにはスパークリングのフリーマン ユーキ・エステート ブラン・ド・ブラン ソノマ・コースト2020が登場、コースに合わせてフリーマン 涼風 シャルドネ グリーン・ヴァレー・オブ・ロシアン・リヴァー・ヴァレー 2021やフリーマン アキコズ・キュヴェ ピノ・ノワール ウエストソノマ・コースト 2021がサービスされた。来賓にはアントニー・ブリンケン国務長官やピート・ブティジェッジ運輸大臣などアメリカの政財界の要人たち。そしてそこにはワイナリーオーナーのケン・フリーマンとアキコ・フリーマン夫妻の姿もあった。アキコはこの時の心境をこう語っている。 「私たち夫婦は、このような記念すべき日に参加できて幸せでした。アメリカは日本と素晴らしい関係にあり、私たちが微力ながらその関係に貢献できていると思うと、素晴らしい気分です。多くのビジネス・リーダーや政治家たちと同席できたことは刺激的でしたし、仲間意識や両国の将来に対するヴィジョンを共有できたことは、控えめに言っても感激でした」 ワイナリーの設立は2001年のこと。以前はニューヨークに在住、ケンは銀行員として、アキコはメトロポリタン美術館でエデュケーターとして活躍していた。その後、ケンの転勤でカリフォルニアへ移住。もともとワイン好きだったふたりは、週末にワイナリー巡りを楽しみながら「いつか自分たちのワイナリーを」という夢を抱くようになったのだ。そしてその夢は結実、アキコは"師匠"である醸造家エド・カーツマンの教えを受けながら、実地でブドウ栽培とワイン造りを学んでいった。ケンはアキコをバックアップ、経理や管理などのいっさいを担い、夫婦二人三脚でワイナリーを成長させた。 無名だったアキコのワインが一躍世に踊り出たのは2015年4月のこと。安倍晋三元首相渡米の際に開かれたバラク・オバマ元大統領主催の晩餐会で、フリーマン 涼風 シャルドネ グリーン・ヴァレー・オブ・ロシアン・リヴァー・ヴァレーがサービスされたのだ。日本人醸造家のワインがホワイトハウスで使われたのは初めてのこと。現地のメディアはこぞってこのワインを紹介したが、皆が驚いたのは、その豊かな香りとエレガントな味わいだったのだ。 フリーマン・ヴィンヤード&ワイナリーはソノマでも最も冷涼といわれるロシアン・リヴァー・ヴァレーの西に位置する。ブドウ品種はシャルドネとピノ・ノワールで、果実は豊かでありながらもどこか涼やか、ピュアな酸味との調和が素晴らしい。ピノ・ノワールは知性を感じさせつつもどこかセンシュアル、シャルドネは透明感のある味わいで、煌めくようなフレッシュ感が印象的だ。ワインは造る人の個性も表すというが、美的センスに長け、人との繋がりを大切にする彼女の品格も味に反映されている。これが要人たちの大切なテーブルを彩るのは当然と言っても過言ではないだろう。 アキコのワインは飲む人を確実に幸せにする。彼女はフィガロワインクラブの読者に、こんな言葉を寄せてくれた。 「ワインが1本あるだけで、人は幸せになります。グラスを傾けながら、互いの幸福な未来について話せたら、とても素敵ですね」 |
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