Most Paso Robles wineries will tell you the land is special. Rob Murray actually bet his livelihood on it. A lifelong agriculturalist who arrived in Paso with more conviction than capital, Murray built Tooth & Nail from the ground up — farming the estate himself, fighting the elements, and refusing to make wine he couldn't be proud of in a region that doesn't give anything away easily. The vineyards are sustainably farmed: hand labor instead of herbicides, deficit irrigation to concentrate the fruit and conserve water, 1% of profits pledged to 1% for the Planet. Director of Winemaking Jeremy Leffert runs the cellar with the same seriousness — clean extraction, honest oak, wines that taste like where they came from.

The Squad Series is what happens when a winery decides to make its best affordable wine instead of its most marketable one. Leffert's brief was simple: wines so good people drink them on a Tuesday, not save them for an occasion. Each bottle is sustainably grown, packed with genuine Paso Robles character, and finished with an Augmented Reality label — scan it with the Tooth & Nail app and the character on the label comes to life with music and exclusive content. Leffert described the Squad as the wine equivalent of a great old pair of blue jeans. You'll know exactly what he means after the first glass.

The 2023 Squad Cabernet Sauvignon is the anchor of the line. Dark, plush, built for a plate of food — exactly what Paso Robles Cabernet does when the farming is honest and the winemaker doesn't overthink it. Aged 10 months in French oak at 25% new, it drinks ready on release: blackberry, vanilla, baking spice, soft tannins that settle in rather than push back. Wine Enthusiast handed it 91 points and an Editors' Choice. At around $23 retail, you'll pour the second glass before you think to check the price.