Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Freeman Russian River Pinot Noir is a subtle wine, with an easy drinking style that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. With a medium dark ruby color and pleasant aromas of ripe plums and earth, with wine is soft and rich on the palate. It has just the right amount of balanced acidity, along with flavors of spicy Pinot berries and watermelon. The wine’s finish is long, with prominent acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is superfocused on black-fruit flavors and has a racy, elegant texture to back them up beautifully. Black cherry, clove, cedar and blueberry compote rush the palate, lifted by well integrated and fine-grained tannins for an elegant mouthfeel.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Here is a wine that capably captures the fruity purity for which well-made Russian River Pinots are known, and, despite the fact that everything from its intense, beautifully stated, ripe cherry aromas to its slightly supple mouthfeel and its vital, very complete flavors make it immensely appealing right now, it possesses the balance, the depth and the seamlessly fit, fine-grained tannins to argue that it has more in store for those willing to lay it away for a few years.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.