Zin Mecca

Zin Mecca

Behind these doors lie barrels of joy. Because these are the doors to the barrel room at Turley Wine Cellars, where Larry Turley, Ehren Jordan, et al continue to make the best darn Zinfandel in the world. (In my opinion. But I'm right, of course.)

If you take a closer look at these doors, you'll notice some weird little symbols. True wine geeks will recognize them from the labels of various Turley wines.

The far left door includes (from the top down):

1. The Highway 101 symbol from Turley Vineyard 101 Zinfandel. (The vineyard is in Geyserville, right near guess which road?)

2. The old vine symbol from Turley Old Vines Zinfandel.

3. The hourglass symbol from various Turley Late Harvest Zinfandels. (Vinified slightly sweet.)

4. The bear paw symbol from Turley Black Sears Vineyard Zinfandel. (Black Sears is high up on Napa Valley's Howell Mountain, and bears are but one of its perils.)

The next door over bears the left-over wood from these symbols.

Finally, the two doors on the right are decorated with symbols from the old Turley Sauvignon Blanc label. According to Larry Turley, the symbolism goes as follows: Sun for him, Moon for his wife Suzanne, and four stars for his four daughters, all framed by signs for the four elements — fire, water, earth and wind.