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Mission Codename: A First Place Finish!

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Adobe Road Winery, where wine producer and Porsche racing legend Kevin Buckler makes wines that are legendary

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Adobe Road Winery

Wine Subject: 2003 Cabernet Sauvingon

Winemaker: Franc Dusak

Backgrounder:

Last month The Wine Spies featured another great Adobe Road wine. We loved their wines so much that we sent Agent Red back to secure another allotment of wine. This time he returns with their 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – and declares it an absolute winner!

Beneath his tasting profile for this wine, read Agent Red’s original mission report, where he has his first encounter with Adobe Road wines.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Exceptional Wine Alert! Today’s exceptional wine exceeds our already high standards

Look – Deep garnet with a deep dark black-cherry heart, a tight surface and thin, tightly-space legs that slowly make their way down the glass

Smell – Rich, dusky, elegant and deeply aromatic dark fruits of plum, black cherry, big black currant and oak plus mild earth, licorice, leather and subtle cigar box

Feel – This wine feels beautifully balanced. It is wet up-front and light weight, then its beautifully structured tannins take hold at the front of the mouth

Taste – Sophisticated and beautifully balanced with layers of perfect fruit, earth and mild herbs. As you peel away the layers, flavors of dark cherry, plum and currant are followed by earth, toasty oak and mild leather and tobacco

Finish – Luscious, layered, long, lively, lingering and lovely

Conclusion – An incredible Cabernet Sauvignon in the classic California style!! It’s no surprise that this wine is so good. As with his racing career, Kevin strives for perfection in his wines. He seems to achieve greatness in both, as witnessed by his team’s recent success at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Congratulations, Kevin, on your strong showing at Daytona, and, on this tremendous wine!

Mission Report:

(republished from Agent Red’s first encounter with Adobe Road Wines)

I love my missions to France. The wine, the climate and the food all seem to agree with me.

On a recent mission to the French village of Anjou in the Loire Valley (the region in France best known for Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc wines), I was tipped off by a local asset that winery owner and racing legend Kevin Buckler was staying in a hotel neighboring my own.

He was in France for his annual appearance at the world famous auto race, 24 Hours of Le Mans. Kevin and his team drive the incredible Porsche GT3. Kevin is a world-class driver, and he and his team have racked up wins at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona (2002) and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans (2002), an overall win at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona (2003), and the title of Porsche World Cup Champion in 2002.

Kevin’s winery, Adobe Road, had been under light surveillance for a few months already and Central Command was preparing to send an Agent to investigate – but I got my own once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet Kevin in his racing element, and Central Command approved my impromptu mission and I extended my stay in France.

I am enough of a Porsche fan to have my own sights set on a 2008 Cayman S. Since I had the brochure with me on my travels I used it as a prop, taking it with me to the hotel restaurant where Kevin and his team were having dinner. Having made friends with the Maître ’D earlier (I buttered him up with a bottle of Patrick Bodouin Anjou Villages Cabernet Franc ), I was seated next to their table.

I sat down and positioned the Cayman brochure so that it would be seen by Kevin or his crew. Then I ordered a bottle of great wine and waited. They took the bait and one of the guys at the table leaned over and said to me, “Hey, Buddy. That’s a nice car, but why not spring for a real Porsche and get a GT3?”

Now, I knew that the monster GT3 was their car, but I replied, “I leave that car to the professionals. It’s better suited to the racetrack, if you ask me.”

That opened up a great conversation about Porsches and about wine that went late into the night. Kevin waxed poetic about both and I enjoyed his passion on these two great subjects. As the evening was ending, Kevin’s crew chief invited me to visit pit row for a brief tour of their on-track operations. I jumped at the chance and enjoyed every second of it. At the end of the tour, I asked if I could ride along during a check-ride… and was nearly laughed off the track.

Once the crew chief wiped the tears from his eyes, he became very serious. He quickly escorted me away from the pit row, handed me a few bottles of Adobe Road wine, and pushed me toward the security exit. Oh, well. At least I tried. And, at least I walked away with an arm full of Kevin’s excellent wine.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of today’s vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.

The location the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the Daytona Speedway can be seen in this satellite photo.