2007 Rock Wall Wine Company Zinfandel

Zinfandel is California's hometown hero. It's the closest thing they have to "local, indigenous" grape and they're running with it! (Technically, it has it's roots in Primitivo from Italy, but hey, who's counting?)

Big, bold and loaded with sun-ripened fruit, this is a grape that has a "live fast and die young" attitude. It's a wine that karate-chops steak, grilled veggies and huge burgers right in the face! This is the grape the innovators of the California wine industry choose to work with more than any other.

So why did we pick the 2007 Rock Wall Wine Company Zinfandel? First, it's a SLAMMIN' wine loaded with dark berry fruit flavors and a solid, firm structure. Basically, its damn good Zin and you'll only wish you had another bottle when finish the first.

But here's the really fun part. The winery isn't located on a scenic hillside in the Cali countryside. No, it's in a 40,000 sq ft hanger on decommissioned Air Force base overlooking San Francisco.

And the winemaker isn't your stereotypical grey-haired, old dude. She's a boisterous, high-energy, 20-something badass!

Attn: grey-haired, old dude winemakers. We still love you! We're just sayin' she ain't that ;-)

But just because she's young doesn't mean she's short on experience. Shauna's father, founder of the winery, is Kent Rosenblum, veteran wine rockstar. This means the girl literally grew up in a winery.

Now she's in charge and she's decided to experiment with everything from Riesling, to Tannat to bubbly. In one of the coolest spaces we've seen Shauna and her Mohawk-sporting staff are making truly innovative, unique yet absolutely delicious wines.

Drink liberally with all things grilled, slow cooked BBQ pork, and your friends that refuse to do things "by the book."