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Open 11:00am-5:00pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday in the Winter)
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2011
Directions
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Tasting:
Freestone Vineyards is a sister winery to Napa's Joseph Phelphs of Insignia fame. Where Phelps focuses on Cabernet and Bordeaux blends, Freestone produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
We pulled up to the tasting room after a winding trip out Highway 12. Freestone is located off by itself, south and west of Sebastopol and a solid 12 miles from Hwy 101. We were warmly greeted and told that Freestone does sit-down tastings, and we were invited to choose a spot at a number of locations around the tasting room, including some sofas in a corner or picnic tables on their outdoor patio.
We decided to keep it simple and just grabbed chairs at the long table near the bar.
I'm a fan of Joseph Phelps wine, although I long for the pre-"Wine of the Year" days, when a bottle of Phelps Cabernet could still be had for under $40, the Insignia hovered just over $100, and the Le Mistral was the best wine for my money at somewhere in the mid-$20 range. Then 2005 came along, Insignia was Wine Spactator's wine of the year, and all of the prices suddenly increased by 30%. I think that Freestone may have been created from all of the extra buzz.
The tasting at Freestone consisted of 5 wines: 3 Chardonnays and 2 Pinot Noirs. The Fog Dog Chardonnay was heavy on lemon lime citrus and acidity and light on oak. We followed that with the Ovation Chardonnay, a wine that was formerly released under the Phelps label pre-Freestone. We finished whites with their Freestone Chardonnay. None of the Chardonnays were purchasable, and I think every one was $10-$30 overpriced.
We moved to Pinot Noir. First up: the 2008 Fog Dog Pinot Noir. This was an immediate dump bucket victim for both Steph and myself. 2008 was a tough year in Sonoma but not unsalvageable. Unfortunately, the Fog Dog Pinot was not salvaged and worth nowhere near the $35 price tag. We finished with the lone bright spot, the 2007 Freestone Pinot Noir. This was a big, bold, Burgundian wine and the only one I truly enjoyed from Freestone. At $55/bottle, there are better options in Sonoma, especially from such an amazing vintage, but it at least made the long drive out to Freestone worthwhile.
We left bottleless and out $10 each for the tasting fee. It wasn't a horrendous, Van Der Hayden type experience, but overall disappointing based on the wine and not worth a return trip. The people were courteous, friendly, and attentive, and the facility was nice, but only one wine out of five was drinkable and none were priced in the right range.
Freestone Vineyards is a sister winery to Napa's Joseph Phelphs of Insignia fame. Where Phelps focuses on Cabernet and Bordeaux blends, Freestone produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
We pulled up to the tasting room after a winding trip out Highway 12. Freestone is located off by itself, south and west of Sebastopol and a solid 12 miles from Hwy 101. We were warmly greeted and told that Freestone does sit-down tastings, and we were invited to choose a spot at a number of locations around the tasting room, including some sofas in a corner or picnic tables on their outdoor patio.
I'm a fan of Joseph Phelps wine, although I long for the pre-"Wine of the Year" days, when a bottle of Phelps Cabernet could still be had for under $40, the Insignia hovered just over $100, and the Le Mistral was the best wine for my money at somewhere in the mid-$20 range. Then 2005 came along, Insignia was Wine Spactator's wine of the year, and all of the prices suddenly increased by 30%. I think that Freestone may have been created from all of the extra buzz.
The tasting at Freestone consisted of 5 wines: 3 Chardonnays and 2 Pinot Noirs. The Fog Dog Chardonnay was heavy on lemon lime citrus and acidity and light on oak. We followed that with the Ovation Chardonnay, a wine that was formerly released under the Phelps label pre-Freestone. We finished whites with their Freestone Chardonnay. None of the Chardonnays were purchasable, and I think every one was $10-$30 overpriced.
We moved to Pinot Noir. First up: the 2008 Fog Dog Pinot Noir. This was an immediate dump bucket victim for both Steph and myself. 2008 was a tough year in Sonoma but not unsalvageable. Unfortunately, the Fog Dog Pinot was not salvaged and worth nowhere near the $35 price tag. We finished with the lone bright spot, the 2007 Freestone Pinot Noir. This was a big, bold, Burgundian wine and the only one I truly enjoyed from Freestone. At $55/bottle, there are better options in Sonoma, especially from such an amazing vintage, but it at least made the long drive out to Freestone worthwhile.
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We left bottleless and out $10 each for the tasting fee. It wasn't a horrendous, Van Der Hayden type experience, but overall disappointing based on the wine and not worth a return trip. The people were courteous, friendly, and attentive, and the facility was nice, but only one wine out of five was drinkable and none were priced in the right range.
Recommended wine:The 2007 Freestone Pinot Noir was very good, but still overpriced at $55/bottle. I would not recommend any of the other wines.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 3.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.00 |  VALUE | 2.00 |
 OVERALL | 3.31 | ||
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