CH’NG Poh Tiong
On Tuesday 29 October 2024, Assemblage will be serving two Freeman wines served by Vice-President Kamala Harris on 11 April 2024 when she hosted a dinner in Washington to celebrate the visit of then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Akiko Freeman • Winemaker
Born in Tokyo, Akiko Freeman is the first woman in 23 generations of her family to work as a winemaker. Her grandfather was one of Japan’s leading academics and his love for wine, literature and art was contagious, imbuing his granddaughter with a lifelong taste for the enigmatic beauty of great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After receiving her master’s degree in Italian Renaissance art history from Stanford, Akiko travelled throughout Europe and as far as South Africa to explore the great winemaking regions of the world.
Ken Freeman • Proprietor
Ken Freeman fell under the spell of wine while growing up in Scarsdale, New York. He remembers venturing to Zachy’s with his mother, fascinated by the wooden crates containing Chateau Margaux and Domaine Romanee-Conti. Little did he know that one day his own Freeman wines would claim a coveted place on Zachy’s shelves.
Akiko & Ken Meet
In 1985, Ken met Akiko. After discovering a shared passion for a more sophisticated and eloquent style of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they began preparing to found their own winery. After earning his M.B.A. from Kellogg, Ken worked for years establishing the Discovery Channel in Asia, which took them to Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1997, Ken and Akiko’s dream of making cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay began to crystallize. They began searching for grower partners and vineyard properties in the coolest parts of the Russian River Valley and on the extreme Sonoma Coast. In 2001, Ken and Akiko acquired a small winery in the Russian River Valley town of Sebastopol where they established Freeman Vineyard & Winery. In 2005 they acquired an adjacent property, now the site of their Gloria Estate Vineyard; and in 2007 they purchased the Freeman Ranch further west in the Sonoma Coast appellation, where they planted their second vineyard, named Yu-ki.
Vice-President Kamala Harris • 11 April 2024
On 11 April 2024, Vice-President Kamala Harris hosted a lunch at the US State Department to celebrate the visit of then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Guests included Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Also present was Akiko Freeman. The wines at lunch were Freeman Ryo-Fu Chardonnay 2022 and Akiko Cuvée Pinot Noir 2021 which will also be served at Assemblage Dinner XXVIII Tuesday 29 October 2024.
