Expect the ’15 Gloria to be at its best from late 2017 through 2025. As with every vintage of Gloria since the first in 2012, this is the real crowd pleaser in the Freeman lineup. Once tasted, you appreciate the full development of the wine, with its bright berry flavors, supple tannin and moderate acidity. With subtle aromas driven as much by terroir as by fruit, the ripeness of the 2015 vintage comes through more on the palate than on the nose of the Gloria Estate Pinot Noir. On the positive side, the quality of the fruit was exceptional. Set was uneven, and the tiny Pinot clusters at Gloria gave us only six tons of fruit from eight acres. The vines got off to a promising, early start over the course of a warm, fairly dry winter but then May cooled down to well below normal levels, right in the middle of flowering. ![]() Of all the vineyards where we saw reduced crops in 2015, Gloria Estate produced the lowest yield. It is not an easy site to farm, with its very steep hillsides and different exposures, from the top of the hill to the bottom. Today, Akiko Freeman works closely with our vineyard manager to make all the decisions at Gloria. In 2006 we planted our eight-acre estate vineyard to the heritage clones Swan, Calera, Martini, Pommard and Dijon 115. Part of our vineyard lies on Gloria’s old apple orchard. The other important Gloria reference is to the woman of the same name who sold Ken and Akiko several acres adjacent to our property. The rest, of course, is history in the making. For the last 5 years we have built our reputation on our small production, single vineyard Pinot Noir that comes from the Clouds Rest Vineyard nestled in at 1250 on Sonoma Mountain overlooking most of the bay area. That evening Ken went to a party, where the best-dressed, most stylish woman there was a beauty named Akiko. Ken was on a sailboat headed south, into the Atlantic, when Hurricane Gloria forced Ken and crew to beat their way landward and spend the night in port. ![]() We named our estate vineyard for the hurricane that brought Ken and Akiko Freeman together in 1985. Expansive and layered in the mouth, with nice harmony and a gentle demeanor.Ģ015 marks Freeman’s fourth-ever Gloria Estate Pinot Noir, from the hillside vineyard adjacent to our winery. Very charming and silky in the mouth with vivid flavors of black cherry and purple berry fruits underlain with a thread of savory herbs. ![]() A nose with purpose, that opens nicely with swirling, revealing aromas of dark raspberry, spice and sous-bois.
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