I'm Not Drinking Jam: Inconnu Cabernet
A celebration of California Cabernet that is graceful, not goopy.
Inconnu No Gods No Masters Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Carneros, Sonoma, California
Producer: Laura Bissell / Inconnu
Costs: $30-$40
Missive: California Cabernet Done Right
Tonight was a masterclass in Cabernet Sauvignon from California. A region that I tend to shy away from, for personal reasons, made me eat my words. I have been humbled. It is good to be wrong, to have one’s beliefs challenged. For me, the majority of domestic wines (that I have encountered) tend to be misleading, overly beefy, and showcase more oak and portlike notes than fruit. Where is the ripe red or black fruit? Folks, I have found it in spades with this Cabernet Sauvignon from Laura Bissell.
Oh, Inconnu. This producer has a golden touch with her wines. In addition to her organic and regenerative farming beliefs, she is no slouch in the cellar either. Laura manages to blend the ideal picking time, vineyard location, and aging process for all of her wines. This is coming from a guy whose cellar includes her Merlot rosé, several bottles of her Cabernet Sauvignon, the ever-faithful Kitsune blend, and a hopeful candidate of one of her Alaric bottlings. All I am trying to say is that I am a huge fan of what Laura has done under her Inconnu label, and I am excited to try out her Aitia wines.
This is a lady who reads the future when it comes to the potential of terroir in a changing climate. That’s my thing with a lot of California wines now: they are just HOT. Not in a good way either. I mean, I am drinking syrup that actually tastes like alcohol with more oxidative notes than your typical Colheita ports. Of course, there are producers out there that buck the system and fall outside these categories. However, it is hard to deny the following statement: a $20 bottle from Italy will often bring me more joy than one from Paso or Sonoma, for that matter. You can typically get a captivating organic liter bottle from Sicily or Abruzzo for $15-$20. I simply cannot find anything that is comparable coming out of California. But, please, prove me wrong and comment on your favorite producers and wines below.
Therefore, let me get to the beauty of this wine. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Carneros region of Sonoma. Woop, woop, hometown represent! This is a fresh, structured red wine that is showing absolutely beautifully in 2026. This is a wine that I would pull from the cellar now. It is giving you everything you could want. In order: ripe dark fruit, followed by a present spice graphite note, ultimately culminating in some toasted coconut and roasted chestnut notes. It’s simply beautiful. The dark fruit even comes across as plums, figs, and blackberries, but it is very lifted and balanced. Heck, the wine itself clocks in at 13.23%!
That’s probably the most enticing thing about this wine. It gives you an alternative view of a California Cabernet in the year 2026. This is punchy, alive, and kicking. It provides me with everything I would like in a complex Cabernet Sauvignon, but in a much more approachable and enjoyable manner. Folks, we are here to enjoy the wines we drink. We shouldn’t have to suffer through them or think about them too much. Yes, it is great to ponder the wine and its complexities, but I also want to feel as though I can just drink the wine in my glass. You can do both with this bottle from Inconnu.
The ‘No Gods No Masters’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a bottle worth checking out. I highly recommend anything that Laura Bissell produces. Inconnu or Aitia, California or Washington, white or red: they are all good. If you want complexity alongside freshness, I simply cannot think of a better recommendation than Inconnu/Aitia. She blends the acidity of a grape with the expected profile and adds a dash of timeless energy that leaves you wanting more. I say timeless because her wines harken back to the California Cabs of the 60s-70s, but modern critics or folks may say they have a lighter style. I would caution one not to say glou-glou simply because it is not 15% and overbearing.
This is a great wine, folks. It’s fruit, spice, and everything nice. The time in the bottle has really opened this thing up, showcasing the complexities of the grape and the region it hails from. It’s got a misty component to it that reminds me of the fogginess of my youth. The coast of California is no joke! So, you know what I say. Buy, buy, buy! If you see these bottles, pick them up and see what you think. If you are a fan of complex Sangiovese-based wines, old-school Bordeaux, or new-age producers of any region, then I urge you to pick up a bottle from Laura Bissell.
You're on the east coast, right? California wines are distributed there less than European wines, you get the cult-ish bid reds from Napa and Paso and not too much besides. (And similarly, we don't have any east coast wines here on the West Coast, boooo.) But being in California, we're spoiled for riches within our own state. Santa Barbara and Mendocino wines are completley different than other Cali AVAs. With Sonoma being the halfway-in-the-middle, and Paso, Lodi, and Napa always being overly ripe and "big". And of course those are just the most well known territories.
As always in America, it's about what gets distributed wherever you are. You may be right that there are few California wines that aren't "X' *where you live*, but that's a distinct truth next to what all California wines - or even most California wines - are in other places.
I love this post, and need to search out Laura Bissell's wines. There are always exceptions to the stereotypes.