Napa and Sonoma Wine Visits, January 2020 – Part 2b (Raft, Freeman)

Napa and Sonoma Wine Visits, January 2020 – Part 2b

I’ve posted another portion of Part 2 of a report on an early January three-day wine tour with friends Eric Anderson and Michael Poston to Napa and Sonoma wineries and tasting rooms. Part 3 will be following soon. The full version of this report is on the Grape-Nutz.com website:
Napa and Sonoma Visits – January 2020 – Part 2

Raft Wines
Freeman Winery



Raft Wines
We drove from Napa Valley back to Sonoma County, and headed to the northern part of Santa Rosa, parking outside of the Punchdown Cellars custom crush facility. I’d made an appointment to visit there with owner/winemaker Jennifer Reichardt of Raft Wines, and she was right in the lobby to greet us when we arrived. I’d met Jennifer in the summer of 2018 at a tasting of her wines at the Oakland Yard wine shop, not too far from where I live. I was impressed with her wines then – especially since the 2016 vintage had been the first for Raft – and I thought this would be a good opportunity to try her latest wines. Jennifer led us back into the production facility, where she had brought a few bottles of her current releases for us to taste.

Jennifer comes from a farming background. Her family runs Sonoma County Poultry, a well-known business with family roots that stretch back several generations, and which now supplies Liberty Ducks to many fine restaurants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The Raft name is related to the Liberty Ducks business – raft is the term for a group of waterfowl. There are even duck feet depicted on the wine labels and corks! Jennifer still works on the operations side of Sonoma County Poultry and wants to continue working both there and on her own wine business.


Jennifer Reichardt

Jennifer traveled in Europe after graduating from college with a degree in Sociology in 2010, and she worked at a bed & breakfast in France. After returning to California and working with her family’s business, she did more traveling, this time to New Zealand. Jennifer told us that she met a woman there who had worked a harvest at a local winery and recommended it to her. It didn’t take long for her to get hooked on winery work, and after returning again to Sonoma County, Jennifer worked harvest for several highly-regarded producers, including BR Cohn, Littorai, and Ceritas, starting in 2011. On top of that, she also found the time to work during harvest in Chile and Australia! During this time, she also passed two levels of sommelier exams, and although she learned a lot about wine while studying for the exams, she found that what she enjoyed most of all was working at the wineries. Jennifer launched her Raft label with 300 cases of wine from the 2016 vintage – she increased that to about 500 cases in 2017 and has now grown to around 1,000 cases per year. She mentioned that she’s better able to manage her time between winery work and Liberty Duck now that she has her own label than she was while working for other vintners.

Jennifer made nine wines from the 2018 vintage, and will have ten for 2019. Sangiovese and Syrah bottlings are the largest-production, with around 150-200 cases, while the others are smaller lots. There are releases in the spring and fall each year, and when we visited Jennifer was starting to prepare for bottling in March, for wines to be released in April. She noted that she uses clear glass bottles for all of her spring releases, with green glass for fall. The bottles are lighter weight, labels use recycled paper, and the cork material is derived from sustainable and recyclable sugarcane. In addition, all of the vineyards that Jennifer works with are organically-farmed.

Vineyard sources for the Raft wines range from the Sierra Foothills to Sonoma and Mendocino counties, and to date, all of the wines have been labeled as single-vineyard designates. Most of the wines are made from Rhône grape varieties – Jennifer mentioned that she likes working with these since they blend so well together – along with a few Italian varieties. There has been an Italian-style wine in each of the spring and fall wine releases so far. Jennifer told us that she’s open to making wine from other grape varieties too. Some of the fruit is fermented in small tanks and some in bins – Jennifer told us that this often depends on logistics at the facility during the busy crush season. She avoids adding water or acid to her fermentations, and sulfur additions to the wines are minimal. Wines are aged in neutral barrels and they’re all unfined and unfiltered. The Raft whites and rosé all go entirely through malolactic fermentation.

It was quite chilly in the Punchdown Cellars barrel room – fortunately we’d prepared for that but still had to zip up our jackets! Before we started in with tasting five current Raft wines, Jennifer offered to have us try some barrel and tank samples of wines that she was planning to bottle in March. First off was a barrel sample of 2019 Viognier – the fruit came from Love Ranch, at 1,300-foot elevation in the southern Sierra Foothills, and this will go into the “Jonquille” Viognier bottling. Floral and bright citrus aromas with hints of stone fruit and a saline note, this had a pleasant texture and a crisp, fresh finish. Jennifer said that she’s made this wine before in a combination of neutral oak and stainless steel, but the 2019 has been made entirely in older barrels.


Jennifer then climbed up a couple of barrels to pull a sample of 2018 Grenache Blanc from a higher-altitude site near Camino in El Dorado County. Climbing the barrels was a bit tough for her as she tore her ACL at the end of crush last fall and she’ll have surgery after her March bottling date, but she managed just fine. The wine had a slight salmon-orange tinge, and displayed higher-toned stone fruit and fresh herbs on the nose, medium-light weight with a tangy finish. We also tasted a tank sample of 2019 Picpoul, also from El Dorado County. This was whole-cluster pressed, fermented in neutral oak and stainless steel, then aged entirely in tank. Bright lemon fruit with floral undertones, this had a vibrant mouthfeel and clean, zippy finish.

Moving on to bottled wines, Jennifer poured us the 2018 “Fleur Pour Ma Mère” Trails End Vineyard Rosé. The vineyard source for this Grenache rosé is located in Mendocino County’s Potter Valley, and the name of the wine – which translates to “A flower for my mother” – is a tribute to Jennifer’s mother, an avid gardener who passed away in 2019. Jennifer told us that stirred the lees on this wine during primary fermentation to add texture. Very light salmon color, this featured floral, red fruit and citrus aromas, with a lively texture and finish.

We next tasted two lighter red wines, beginning with 2018 Nesseré Vineyard Sangiovese, from a vineyard in the far northern Sierra Foothills in Butte County, not far from Chico. Jennifer told us that her idea for this wine was to make an affordable light red – an everyday “pizza/pasta wine.” This featured intense red cherry fruit along with earth and spice notes, a bright mouthfeel and a stony mineral quality on the finish. We followed that with the 2018 Narrow Gate Vineyard Grenache, with fruit sourced from a biodynamically-farmed site in El Dorado County and fermented with 25% whole clusters. Floral and herbal red fruit, with medium-light weight on the palate and moderate tannins.


Jennifer finished our tasting with two Syrahs, both from Dry Creek Valley. The 2018 Weed Farm Syrah comes from a vineyard that is not sprayed at all during the growing season. This displayed slightly higher-toned dark berry fruit with earthy, herbal, and black olive notes, plenty of acidity, and a firm tannic finish. The 2018 Grist Vineyard Syrah is from a higher-elevation site near the top of Bradford Mountain – showing more upfront blackberry fruit along with a floral character, with hints of pepper and spice, this had a bolder texture and grippier tannins. Though the two Syrah vineyards are only a few miles from one another, Jennifer noted that they are very different, and the wines reflected that. The Weed Farm bottling was in more of a northern Rhône style while the Grist Vineyard Syrah – as Jennifer put it – is a “love letter to California.” Both of these wines were fermented with some stems that Jennifer had dried and returned to the fermentation vessels.

In addition to the wines we tasted with Jennifer, other Raft wines include “Cavaillon” skin-fermented Viognier, Counoise, and “Antonella” northern Italian red blend. The upcoming Grenache Blanc and Picpoul bottlings will be the first of each for the label. Another future release that Jennifer mentioned to us will be Primitivo from Fox Hill Vineyard, which she got in 2019.

We had a really fun visit with Jennifer – she has an enthusiasm that I often see from younger vintners but there was a true joy to her presentation of the wines that really stood out. I enjoyed all of her wines – the 2019 Viognier barrel sample and 2019 Picpoul tank sample should be standouts, while the 2018 Nesseré Vineyard Sangiovese and 2018 Weed Farm Syrah were my favorites of the current releases. All of the Raft wines are surprisingly approachable for being so young, and the fine acidity and balance means they should all be very food-friendly. Jennifer mentioned the idea of community during our visit and I certainly got the feeling that building and maintaining a community is an important part of her approach, both with her family’s Sonoma County Poultry / Liberty Ducks business and with Raft Wines. Raft is one of the more noteworthy new labels I’ve come across in the past couple of years, and their wines are definitely worth checking out.


Freeman Winery
We took the back way from the northern edge of Santa Rosa to our next appointment at Freeman Winery outside of Sebastopol, and surprise – the GPS didn’t take us on any narrow unpaved roads as it did on our recent Sierra Foothills trip! We didn’t have any problem at all in getting to the winery and we parked outside. It was only a moment before winemaker and co-owner Akiko Freeman came out to welcome us. I’d spoken with Akiko a number of times at various tasting events over the years, and I’d stopped by the winery in the past (though not for many years) but I’d never arranged a tasting of the Freeman wines there before.

As we stood outside, Akiko told us a little about the property and the structures there. Located within the Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA, the property was originally three acres, and the large barn on the site had been used by a previous owner as a winery, so it had already been permitted for that use. The property went through one more owner before Ken and Akiko Freeman purchased it in 2001. They added a wine cave a couple of years later, dug into the hillside behind the barn. Akiko pointed out the keystone above the cave entrance, with “Freeman 9·28·85” carved into it – that’s the date that Ken and Akiko met, and she told us the story of that chance meeting.


Ken is originally from Scarsdale, New York, and he was working on Martha’s Vineyard after college when friends asked if he’d like to join them to go sailing along the Atlantic Coast. They began their sailing trip but soon had to turn back due to Hurricane Gloria – as it turned out, the group ended up going to a keg party hosted by some other friends. Akiko was a college exchange student from Tokyo and happened to have been invited by friends to the same party. Having arrived in the US only recently, she wasn’t familiar with the idea of a keg party, so she came attired in a beautiful formal dress – Ken couldn’t help but notice her!

Among other things, wine was a common interest of both Akiko and Ken, particularly the wines of Burgundy. Over the years, Ken, who went on to become a private equity banker, developed an interest in having a winery. Akiko and Ken began looking at potential winery properties in the late 1990s, and when the small site outside of Sebastopol became available, they wasted no time in buying it. They later were able to purchase an adjacent eight-acre property that had been an old apple orchard, and they planted vines there in 2006 – Akiko and Ken named it Gloria Vineyard for the hurricane that brought them together. Not long after that, they bought a 14-acre former sheep ranch and planted that in 2007 – this is Yu-ki Vineyard, at about 1,000-foot elevation near Occidental. The name means “giant tree,” for the redwood forest surrounding the hillside vineyard. Akiko mentioned that it’s also the name of her nephew, whom she hopes may take over the winery someday. She also said that she and Ken may consider buying property for another vineyard in Anderson Valley. The two current estate vineyards are farmed using organic methods and are planted almost entirely to Pinot Noir. They include a number of different Pinot clones – both Dijon clones and California heritage selections such as Swan, Calera, and Mt. Eden are planted. Akiko told us that a new West Sonoma Coast AVA is expected to be approved soon – the process has taken five years – and that the Yu-ki Vineyard will be within that new AVA.


The focus of Freeman from the start has been Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the first vintage was from 2002. Akiko mentioned that these first wines were released in 2004, right when the movie “Sideways” created more interest in Pinot Noir, and those wines sold out quickly – fortunate timing! Noted winemaker Ed Kurtzman has been part of the Freeman team from the start, and worked closely with Akiko. Akiko has been making the wines since 2010, while Ed has stayed on in a consulting role. During our visit to the winery, Akiko introduced us to her assistant winemaker Bobby Kloetzer, who came on board in 2017. The winemaking style can be described as minimalist and light-handed – Akiko’s goal is to emphasize the terroir and vintage in the wines.

We followed Akiko into the wine cave to taste some of the Freeman wines with her there. The caves are about 6,000 square feet in size and can fit up to 500 barrels – there are currently about 300 barrels inside. A handsome and sturdy wooden slab set on top of wine barrels serves as a tasting counter at the central part of the caves. We started with two Chardonnays – these are entirely barrel-fermented and go completely through malolactic fermentation. Akiko began our tasting with the 2017 “Ryo-Fu” Chardonnay, with fruit sourced mainly from Heintz Vineyard. The name of the wine means “cool breeze,” which Akiko said is appropriate given the vineyard sites. Chardonnay clones 4 and Rued went into this wine, which was made in about 10% new French oak. Floral and stone fruit aromas with a hint of fresh herbs and undertones of vanilla/oak, lively texture and a stony mineral note on the long finish. Next was the 2017 Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, from a very cool site near Freestone. Made in about 6% new oak, the Chardonnay fruit is clone 5. This displayed more of a citrus and pear character on the nose, along with spice, earth, and a minerally quality, with vibrant acidity and crisp, fresh finish.


Akiko Freeman

We moved on to Pinot Noirs – Freeman typically makes 150 to 180 barrels of Pinot Noir each vintage, with wines from different vineyards and clones fermented and aged separately until they’re ready to blend. Akiko started us with the 2017 KR Ranch Pinot Noir. This used to be labeled as Keefer Ranch, but since management of the property changed hands a few years ago, Freeman came up with a new designation for the vineyard name. Akiko told us that they’ve worked with the same blocks of this vineyard from the start, and that the fruit is an even split between clones 23 and 777. The wine featured intense rose floral aromas plus black cherry fruit and a touch of spice, medium-light weight with a silky texture and lively finish. We followed this with the 2017 Gloria Estate Pinot Noir, made from Swan, Calera, Pommard, and 115 clones. Akiko told us that she particularly likes the Swan clone from here for floral aromatics and Calera for structure. Fresh herbs, orangepeel, and black cherry and darker fruit on the nose plus hints of spice and vanilla, this had a broader mouthfeel than the previous wine, finishing with fine tannins. Both the KR Ranch and Gloria Estate Pinot bottlings are aged in about 30% new French oak.

We concluded our tasting with two Pinots from the 2016 vintage. Akiko poured us the 2016 Yu-ki Estate Pinot Noir, which includes 23, 667, 2A, 114, and 828 clones, and was aged in about 12% new French oak. She told us that she also uses some 828 clone Pinot from Yu-ki for a direct-press rosé. This Pinot showed a darker fruit profile than the first two along with a more savory character, plus tea leaf and floral notes, a more structure on the palate and finish. Our final wine was the 2016 “Akiko’s Cuvée” Pinot Noir – this is a barrel selection that’s been made every year since Freeman’s inaugural 2002 vintage. Akiko and her winemaking staff each create a blend and they taste them all to determine a favorite – Akiko’s own blend usually wins! The 2016 vintage is a blend from five vineyards, and was aged in about 45% new French oak. This displayed similar floral aromatics to the KR Ranch bottling along with black cherry, spice, and dried herbs along with undertones of vanilla/oak, medium body with a silky mouthfeel and fine tannins on the long finish. As with all of the Freeman Pinots we tasted, the oak was present but subtle, and didn’t stand out.


Other Freeman wines that we didn’t taste on this visit include Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The winery has started to release a few new vintage Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs – of particular interest is the 2018 “Ryo-Fu” Chardonnay, which includes some of the first Chardonnay fruit harvested from Yu-ki Vineyard. Total annual production for the Freeman wines is about 6,000 cases.

Our tasting with Akiko at Freeman was one of the most memorable of our Sonoma and Napa wine visits. Akiko was a charming host with a subtle sense of humor, and the story of her path to where she is now was a fascinating one. It’s always fun to taste inside of a wine cave, and the Freeman cave was quite nice – while clearly designed for function rather than for show, it was still a very comfortable place for a tasting. The wines all displayed a light and elegant style, with great aromatics, texture, and balance. All of the wines we tried were excellent, and I felt that the 2017 “Ryo-Fu” Chardonnay, 2017 Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, 2017 KR Ranch Pinot Noir, and 2016 “Akiko’s Cuvée Pinot Noir were particular standouts. Overall, the Freeman wines were some of the best California Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs I’ve tried in awhile, and a tasting there should be high on your list of winery visits in Sonoma County.


Akiko Freeman, Eric Anderson, Michael Poston

Ken: Great report as always; I notice you’ve changed the format a bit with these latest versions. I made the trek to Freeman in December and found it without GPS…but was worried for a while. Can’t remember when I met the Freeman’s, but it must have been at one of the West of West Sonoma tastings. Anyway, I get their mailings and have always wanted to visit and buy the wines on restaurant lists when they are available. Had not heard the story of how they met, but did hear some of the vineyard stories.

My favorite was the “Ryo-Fu” chard. The pinots were good but nothing better than what I already have; I bought a few. Funny, when I start with a winery it is usually for the pinots and gradually I migrate to the chards; that’s happened a lot.

Ed Kurtzman has his finger prints on a lot of good wineries.

Jim, it’s actually not too tough to find Freeman coming from Sebastopol via the Bodega Highway. On the visit last month, we came from the northern edge of Santa Rosa via Guerneville Road and Occidental Road, bypassing Sebastopol - not a route I’d taken before.

I think the Freeman Chardonnays and Pinots are as good as any I’ve tasted in recent years from Sonoma. If I had to pick a single favorite among the wines I tried there last month, it would also be the “Ryo-Fu” Chardonnay.

Freeman winery is where Williams-Selyem wines were made originally. Later to also host Kosta-Browne before they moved to Deerfield. Great little cave and cellar.