I’ve been tasting through quite a few Malbecs lately and I’ll present some of the noteworthy ones here every week or so for a couple of months. Argentina’s Michael Torino Estate makes several tiers of wine. One of those tiers is Cuma. This word means clean and pure in Aymara a local language that predates the Inca’s. This range represents their organic offerings. Today I’ll look at the Malbec from that tier. In addition to Malbec they also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Torrontes in that range.
The Michael Torino Estate 2010 Cuma Malbec was produced from grapes certified to be organic. The fruit was sourced in the Cafayate Valley region. This offering is 100% Malbec. This wine has a suggested retail price of $12.99.
When you pour this Malbec it’s impossible not to notice the beautiful purple hue that’s tinged with bits of red. Aromas of sweet red and black jam along with vanilla bean fill the nose of this 2010 Malbec. The word juicy is the first that comes to mind when tasting this wine. Crushed red cherries and black mission fig flavors fill the palate. An undercurrent of spice kicks in and leads to the finish which shows off a bit of sweet dark chocolate and continued spice. Sufficient acidity keeps things in check.
There are a few things I really like about this Malbec. One is the overall juiciness of the wine. The other is the purity of fruit which is persistent from the first sip until the last. It’s loaded with flavors but nicely balanced and easy to drink in the best sense of that expression. The bottom line is that it outclasses its price-point.