92pts James Suckling

A solid core of berry and plum fruit with some cooked-strawberry and candied-lemon undertones throughout. It’s full and solid with slightly chewy tannins and a tangy finish. A little austere now. Two or three years of bottle age will help. Try after 2024.

92pts Vinous

Vivid garnet. Boysenberry, cherry liqueur, exotic spice and floral scents are energized by a building mineral quality. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering concentrated red and blue fruit, spicecake, lavender pastille and licorice flavors that turn livelier with air. Gently chewy tannins frame the long, juicy finish, where the floral and spice notes return.

92pts Wine Enthusiast

A solid core of berry and plum fruit with some cooked-strawberry and candied-lemon undertones throughout. It’s full and solid with slightly chewy tannins and a tangy finish. A little austere now. Two or three years of bottle age will help. Best after 2024.

Winemaker Notes

The 2018 Freedom Hill is deep ruby-red color. It has a very spice driven nose with dark cherry, plum, and white pepper. The mouth is an explosion of dark fruits, punctuated by bright acidity followed by sweet, savory spices, smoky oak and rich fruit tannins. This is a big wine that will enjoy some time in the glass and hearty dishes. It should also age beautifully.

Winery Notes

St. Innocent Winery was founded in May 1988 by Mark Vlossak, the current winemaker and president, and eight investors. Ten tons of grapes were crushed the first fall, producing 396 cases of still and 176 cases of sparkling wine. Production increased to our full capacity of 6800 cases in 2004. The winery is located in Salem, Oregon, at the southeast corner of the Eola Hills, in the mid-Willamette valley.