For Kevin Buckler, owner of Petaluma-based Adobe Road Wines, it was his love of racing that put him in the fast lane of the fabled Bay Area wine scene. For nearly 30 years, Buckler found himself behind the wheel of some of the fastest and curve-bending race cars on the planet, rounding corners from Daytona to Le Mans, and around the same time that the idea for a truly unique winery came about.
His love of racing inspired Adobe’s annual gift box set, featuring four delicate wines, perfect for anyone from novice wine drinkers to those with refined palates. Known as the Racing Series Gift Box Set, it gives a nod to Buckler’s first love of kicking up dust around tight turns while in the driver’s seat and is comprised of four ultra-premium, California red blends. The Box includes Apex Red, Redline Red, Shift Red Blend and the 24 GSM blend in a package inspired by his time on the racetrack.
“It’s very important to have the right presentation around our racing heritage and history,” notes Buckler. “We wouldn’t do anything if we couldn’t make the wines good. You can get in there and taste through the wines and get different tastes with each one. From your classic Zinfandel to a heavier cab blend, we want you to drink and enjoy, not just put this on your shelf.”
Adobe Road Winery is regarded as one of the best small boutique brands, having received more than 12 90+ scores from the Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Buckler launched the gift box set in 2019 and began displaying it on the road at auctions, wine events, and racetracks. And after some time away from promoting the wine in public due to the Coronavirus, Buckler is back at it, doing nearly nonstop campaigning for the wines and the box set.
“The promotion of the Racing Series, it’s like a tech IPO. We’re basically on the road every day doing a road show. We were the wine partner for Ferrari conference in Florida before heading over to Virginia Beach. We’re on a real roll with the Race Series by itself and the new project will be completed in about a year.”
That new project is Adobe Road Winery’s all-new, state-of-the-art winery, visitors center, tasting room, corporate conference location, and automotive museum. Located in downtown Petaluma, on the Bay Area town’s small but quaint waterfront, the new building boasts 16,000 square feet of sprawling space for guests to taste wine, enjoy gathering once again, and browsing the racing legacy of the Racers Group, Buckler’s motorsports business that offers service, parts, and cars for sale.
As a driver under the Racers Group brand, Buckler took his talents to Daytona in 2002, entering the track’s 24-hour race, and ended up winning as an independent. This led him and his brand to receive an invite to the honored 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in the heart of France, where he also took home the checkered flag.
“That’s the spirit behind our wine and our gift box set,’ Buckler notes. “We’ve always just kept our head down and stuck to our passions. That’s what we put into each of our wines and our box set. It’s the new paradigm of the wine world. People don’t like stodgy because they want authenticity in everything.”
Owners of the gift box wine set get a special discount of 20% after they finish each wine and bring it back to fill up. By next summer, people can do just that and taste the wines in the new building overlooking the sparkling waterfront in Petaluma.
Visit www.adoberoadwines.com for more information and to place your wine order.
Adobe Road Winery Tasing Room
6 Petaluma Blvd N a1
Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 774-6699
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