West Sonoma County – or simply West County to locals – is one of the most beautiful rural areas of the North Bay. From farm to ocean, the area west of Highway 101 offers boutique and luxury wineries producing highly coveted wines in settings that inspire a deep admiration for nature and an appreciation for the craft of winemaking.

Akiko Freeman and her team at the Freeman Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley AVA, make less than 5,000 cases per year of their widely acclaimed Burgundy style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

They could easily sell every bottle locally, but she and her husband Ken – who runs an investment firm in San Francisco – lived in Hong Kong during the 1990s, and are keen to have their wines appreciated in a city they grew to love.

Those wines are a labor of love. Akiko became enamored of wine – and of Burgundy in particular- while growing up in Japan.

The new china has been selected and the menu is set for Tuesday night’s White House State Dinner.

So it’s time to feast.

President Obama and Michelle Obama are hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie Abe, for the dinner-to-remember on April 28. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is the guest chef for the evening, joining the culinary forces of White House executive chef Cris Comerford and executive pastry chef Susan Morrison to create a one-of-a-kind menu.

“I am deeply honored to be the guest chef for tomorrow’s #StateDinner at the @whitehouse hosted by President @barackobama and First Lady @michelleobama in honor of Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe of #Japan!” the Japanese chef posted to Instagram.

The first course, Toro Tartare and Caesar Sashimi Salad (pictured below), is wrapped in clear acetate and tied with a Mizuhiki cord, Yahoo Food reports.

The second course, Vegetable Consomme En Croute and Shikai Maki, is a tribute to FLOTUS’s kitchen garden. The main course is American Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables and Maui Onion Veal Jus.

The showstopper of the evening is definitely dessert, which includes a blown sugar teapot decorated with edible cherry blossoms and surrounded by petit fours as well as cheesecake made of silken tofu and soy milk with Florida berries and White House honey.

The dinner will include a sake toast and three American wines, all from California: the 2013 Ryo- fu Chardonnay from Freeman Vineyard & Winery, founded by Ken and Akiko Freeman in Sebastopol; the 2010 Joli Coeur Pinot Noir from Morlet Family Vineyards in St. Helena; and the 2007 Russian River Cuvee sparkling wine from Iron Horse Vineyards, also in Sebastopol.

Cherry blossoms are the decor du jour for the dinner, with Washington’s signature flowers gracing everything from the red chopsticks to the table’s centerpieces.

And that’s not all! The guests will be entertained by the stars of the film Jersey Boys. Sounds like quite the party.

—Morgan Gibson, @morgangibson

2013 Freeman Akiko’s Cuvée Sonoma Coast—Think cool-climate winemaking elegance and you have the essence of the Freeman wines. Winemaker, Akiko Freeman, grew up in Japan and brings an innate sense of balance to her wine. The cuvée bottling, a blend of the winery’s best barrels each vintage is especially gorgeous with notes of black cherry, violets and earth.

...In sum, they are well-made and delicious drinking. The Pinot Noirs are fruit forward and  ripe with dark lush red fruit flavors and earthy nuances. However, some of the wines would benefit from a tad more structure on the backend and finish. Our favorite in the red wine line up was the Pinot Noir Gloria Estate; it is elegant and refined and perfectly balanced with good acidity on the finish. The Chardonnay Ryo-fu with its fruitiness and restrained use of oak was also a winner...