O
nce known as the Gravenstein Apple Capital of the World, Sebastopol in
Sonoma County is now home to an incredible region of pinot noir grapes and
wine production due to its ideal climate conditions.
It is here that Freeman Vineyard & Winery has its roots. The characteristics of the area coupled
with the charm and quality of the property make its location prime for the production of
the owners' favorite wines: pinot noir and chardonnay. Practicing the best of Burgundy's
winemaking techniques in the climate and geology of California's coastal mountains, the
Freemans use this terroir to craft what critics have called some of the finest wines in the
world.
Ken and Akiko Freeman both grew up in food and wine households, but on opposite
sides of the globe. Ken, a native New Yorker and skilled business and investment banker,
developed a passion for wine at the age of 10 after visiting the cork trees of Portugal with
his family. Conversely, Akiko spent the first part of her life in Tokyo. Akiko's grandfather, one
of Japan's leading academics, instilled in her a love of life's finer things—literature, art, food
and, of course, wine. She came to America in 1985 and met Ken quickly thereafter. The
couple unified their passions for wine and began their search for a winery that would make
stylistically different wines in the Burgundy and Bordeaux traditions.
Top Left: Ken and Akiko Freeman stand at the entrance to the wine cave.
Photograph by M.J. Wickham
Bottom Left: Akiko's Cuvee and Ryo-fu Chardonnay are some of Freeman's finest.
Photograph by M.J. Wickham
Facing Page: The rolling hills of Freeman Ranch Vineyard are in Occidental, California.
Photograph by M.J. Wickham
Geyserville
Sbragia Family Vineyards
Freeman Vineyard & Winery
S E B A S TA P O L
SONOMA VALLEY
