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Inconnu

LaLaLu Cabernet Franc 2019

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

This is Cabernet Franc made the way it rarely gets made in California: light, fresh, and aromatic, with cranberry and dried rose rather than extracted fruit and oak. The Beaujolais-like structure makes it easy to chill slightly and drink without ceremony, while the bell pepper and earthy leather give it enough complexity to hold your attention.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
RaspberryCranberryDried RoseBell Pepper
  • Style: Light-bodied red; bright and aromatic; dried rose, raspberry, cranberry, bell pepper; low sulfur; 750ml
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Cabernet Franc; organically farmed; Contra Costa County, California; deep Delhi sandy loam soils; own-rooted vineyard context
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts; aged in neutral older barrels; unfined, unfiltered; minimal sulfur additions
  • Serving: Serve at 56-60F; slight chill recommended; no decant required
  • Pairing: Roast chicken with herbs, charcuterie and pate, pizza margherita, soft cheeses
  • Similar To: For fans of Beaujolais, Loire Cabernet Franc (Chinon, Bourgueil), and light-touch California reds

LaLaLu is a 100% Cabernet Franc from Contra Costa County, sourced by Laura Brennan Bissell of Inconnu from organically farmed fruit in this historically underappreciated region east of San Francisco Bay. The wine ferments spontaneously with native yeasts, sees no new oak, and is made with minimal sulfur additions — consistent with how Bissell approaches every wine she makes.

The profile skews toward the lighter, brighter end of California red wine. Think dried roses, cranberry, raspberry, and green bell pepper on the nose, with plum and earthy, leathery undertones on the palate. It has been compared to Beaujolais in structure — lithe and fruit-forward with acidity that keeps things moving rather than weight that slows them down.

Contra Costa's deep, free-draining sandy soils (Delhi sandy loam) are phylloxera-resistant, meaning many vines in the county remain own-rooted. The region sits at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, with warm days moderated by afternoon winds and cooling influence from San Francisco and Suisun bays. That diurnal temperature shift extends the growing season and preserves acidity.

Inconnu is a one-woman label founded in 2012. Bissell works exclusively with organic and regeneratively farmed vineyards, ages in older neutral barrels, and avoids mechanical sorting, glycol temperature control, and off-the-shelf additives. The LaLaLu is a direct, unfussy expression of Cabernet Franc in a style rarely seen in California at this price.

Works well with dishes that can handle a hint of herbaceous character: roast chicken with herbs, a charcuterie board with cornichons and pate, or a simple pizza with tomato and fresh herbs. Slightly chilled at around 58F, it also functions as a relaxed aperitif. Avoid heavily spiced or very rich braises that would overwhelm the wine's light frame.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Cabernet Franc
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, United States
Region:, Contra Costa, California
Appellation:, Contra Costa County
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Inconnu

Inconnu was founded in 2012 by Laura Brennan Bissell, who is self-taught as a winemaker. Originally from Washington DC, she moved to the Bay Area and eventually discovered natural wine in Barcelona, which redirected her toward winemaking. She secured an internship at Unti Vineyards in Healdsburg's Dry Creek Valley and made her first vintage in 2011. In 2013, she began working at Matthiasson in Napa Valley, one of the region's most prominent organic producers.

Inconnu sources fruit exclusively from organic and regeneratively farmed parcels. Bissell seeks out family-owned vineyards in cooler climates with significant diurnal temperature shifts and complex soils. She has also worked with Mimi Casteel, widely recognized for her expertise in regenerative agriculture for vineyards, to inform her farming philosophy. Her California sourcing spans Contra Costa, Clarksburg, and other regions, and she also farms estate vines in Underwood, Washington, in the Columbia Gorge AVA.

In the cellar, Bissell uses spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, keeps sulfur additions minimal, and ages in older neutral barrels — never new oak. She avoids mechanical sorting, glycol temperature control, complex filtration, and consulting oenologists. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Her approach is consistent across all bottlings: intervene as little as possible, and let the fruit speak for itself.

Wine region

Contra Costa, California, United States

Contra Costa County sits directly east of San Francisco Bay, about 50 miles from San Francisco, at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. It received official AVA status in 2024. Most of its vineyards are concentrated in the eastern part of the county near the towns of Brentwood and Oakley. The region's name comes from Spanish, meaning 'opposite shore,' a reference to its position across the bay from San Francisco.

The defining feature of Contra Costa's terroir is its Delhi sandy loam — deep, free-draining sand over a clay substratum. Because phylloxera cannot survive in sand, many of the county's vines remain own-rooted and date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. These old, dry-farmed vines produce small, concentrated berries. The climate is warm and Mediterranean, moderated by afternoon winds and bay influence that create a meaningful diurnal temperature shift, preserving acidity in the grapes. Zinfandel, Mourvedre, and Carignan are the county's most historically planted varieties, though producers like Inconnu demonstrate the region's versatility with Bordeaux grapes.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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