With your successful racing career — including victories at Le Mans and Daytona — you have a unique resume to guide you to the next steps in your career. Because Kevin Buckler by Adobe Road Winery, that means making the most of California’s bustling wine scene to create a set of four red blend bottles designed for motorsport fans. Yes, I’ve been drinking hard in the Racing Series, and yes, I’m here to share what I think.
I first learned about Adobe Road through a fellow automotive journalist Teia Collier, who tasted two wines at the Petaluma, CA winery itself. After seeing the design of the “Shift” bottle, which has a cork top shaped like a knob, I immediately fall in love. I considered taking over the entire Racing Series collection from Adobe Road websitebut I have to admit that the $369 price tag is a bit out of my pocket—largely because of the four wines packaged in an incredible “museum quality” box.
But I got lucky: I could find each red pill in stores around Texas or through friends who bought a bottle themselves. I started with my first bottle – Shift apparently – in early March of this year after finding it at Bucc-ee’s just outside of Texas Motor Speedway. Since then, I’ve been drinking through my collection and making flavor notes for each bottle (I’m an aspiring wine snob). You’ll forgive me for missing my own photos – I didn’t mean to write a review, but finished the gallery and fell in love, I think it only makes sense to share my amateur thoughts with the world.
Red line
Of all the wines in the The Racing Series collection, I think Redline is probably my least favorite – but that doesn’t mean it’s offensive in any way; It’s not entirely my preference. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah and Malbec, featuring a whole lot going on here. Bold blackberry flavors give way to licorice and chocolate-covered fruit — three things I don’t like about them Not flavor in wine. However, I enjoyed the fact that it had a nice spicy finish. It’s an adventure in a bottle, so if you want to be someone who loves savoring every single sip, you’ll love where Redline takes you.
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Next on my list is Apex, a rich Bourdeaux blend that feels like velvet on your tongue but turns into leather, Smoke, Juicy red fruit and holiday spice. My mother, who is not a big red wine fanatic, says that to her, it tastes like smoked pulled pork – it just tastes like cherry wood smoke. which makes it terribly enjoyable to drink. It’s not massive bold in the sense that it doesn’t come to you like a punch, but it has the kind of flavor that makes you want to linger for a while on the tip of your tongue. It is a slow wine. We ate it with grilled steak, and it was amazing.
24
How do you pay homage to the stamina required to compete in the 24-hour race? For Adobe Road, that means blending Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Malbec, and Petit Syrah. If you’re patient enough to get it to breathe, you’ll be rewarded with a complex first sip that somehow turns fresh and fruity while also being bold, pungent and a little spicy – a massive explosion of flavor and excitement that mimics the start of a race. On your tongue, however, it feels soft and silky, and as you ease into the bottle, you’ll find it steady and able to keep up with the times of a long race. Malbec’s prominence keeps that stability enjoyable all the way.
Change
Okay, fine, I’ll say it right away: Shift is easily my favorite wine of the bunch. I love anything Tempranillo, and it’s mixed with Zinfandel, Syrah, and Petit Sirah. It’s the dry variety that will absorb almost all of the moisture from your tongue, but the blend’s rich fruit flavors add a bit of flavor without being overpowering. It’s one of those wines that’s completely self-sustaining, but it also pairs well with hearty meats and rich cheeses; I personally recommend sipping it with the aim of enjoying it without being distracted by anything else. Plus, the bottle itself is a work of art. I washed mine and put it on the kitchen cupboard along with a few of my other gorgeous bottles.
