2022 Tensley Fundamental Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast 750 ml

Joey Tensley’s Fundamental Cabernet is THE benchmark Cab for the under-$20 category—and a wine that’s inspired a legion of fans among Wine Access drinkers.

“Perhaps the best QPR ratio on any bottle of wine I have ever purchased,” one member gushed in their five-star review. “I challenge anyone to find a bottle of wine at [this price] that can stand up to this one. It drinks like a $50 Napa cab.”

The 2022 edition of this Cab is a ripper: Antonio Galloni praised its “terrific quality for the money,” declaring: “It's pretty hard to go wrong with this crowd-pleaser.”

No wonder this wine has fast become one of the most remarkable values in California. A rich, lush Cabernet crafted by a 100-point winemaker known for what Robert Parker called “high-end, super-duper wines,” this is a bona fide Joey Tensley production that happens to wear a shockingly low price tag. 

“I put my name on my second label,” Joey told us when we visited him at his Los Olivos property and noticed that he had Fundamental open on their kitchen table. “I’m proud of it, and I’m not going to hide under a generic label.”

Tensley splits the sourcing of this wine between his Santa Barbara stomping grounds and Paso Robles, where the grapes grow mainly in the prime section west of Highway 101. The cooler climate of Santa Barbara brings a brightness that makes this wine a delight, sip after VERY generous sip, while the Paso fruit provides power, color, and concentration.

Fundamental is one of the most staggering values in our portfolio: a muscular but supple Cab that overdelivers big time.