Long-time Bay Area wine denizen Laura Brennan Bissell started Inconnu in 2012. She moved to the Columbia Gorge in 2019 and since then has been making wines that are both classical and distinctive from vineyards in California and Washington. 'Kitsune' is Laura’s “steakhouse wine”, inspired by right-bank Bordeaux. The merlot and cabernet franc are grown in decomposed granite soils in the Sierra Foothills, giving minerality and structure along with the fruit. The cabernet sauvignon, from Clarksburg riverside soils, lends a sanguine note and backbone. The wine fermented in 1.5-ton vats and aged in older French oak barrels for 12 months. Drink it with, well, steak! But the tannins are silky enough to accompany lighter fare as well: sausages, roasted vegetables, or a cheesy pasta.
