Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Freeman Ryo-fu Chardonnay has a light gold color and a fruit-forward nose of Fuji apples, nutmeg, honey and orange zest. It's one of Freeman's more full-bodied Chardonnays with a full palate of ripe stone fruit, lemon cream and marzipan. With its strong acidity on the finish, this Ryo-fu will show well from 2023 through 2029.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Ryo-fu is a blend from KR Ranch and Charles Heinz. Precise and sculpted, with gorgeous mid-palate pliancy, the Ryo-fu offers hints of orchard fruit, slate, wild flowers and a touch of sweet new oak, all melding together in this classy, layered Chardonnay from Freeman.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.