"Expresivo is the top red under the BenMarco label, produced from a marriage of Malbec and 15% Cabernet Franc. Showing the classic rosemary and wild thyme scents of Gualtallary, this is wonderfully focused and poised, with chalky intensity, layers of plum and blackberry fruit and a hint of graphite on the finish. 2024-32"

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"A nuanced but deep nose, showing crushed stones, fresh and glossy blackberries and blueberries, then flowers, asphalt, cocoa powder and chalk. Broad, exuberant and concentrated, but not at all heavy. This is juicy and so polished and dense, with silky, chalky tannins to coat the blueberry fruit. Fleshy, tight and seamless. Long and so seductive now. 85% malbec and 15% cabernet franc. Vegan. Drink or hold."

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"Blackberries, violets and chalk on the nose with hints of sea-salt flakes. Medium-bodied with tight, chewy tannins that are lively and fresh. Some savory character to the pretty fruit at the finish. Drink or hold."

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"The modern, clean and floral 2018 BenMarco Expresivo is a blend of 85% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Franc from Gualtallary with an élevage in barriques, 70% of them new, for 14 months. It's only faintly oaky and reveals good freshness and fine-grained tannins. 60,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2019."

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"A beautiful, creamy red with blackberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Polished, caressing tannins. Persistent finish. Always dialed-in. Drink or hold."

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"Bright, dark ruby-red. Aromas of black raspberry, plum and licorice are lifted by floral and sexy oak notes and complemented by a touch of chocolatey ripeness, with a subtle leafy quality emerging with air. A step up in richness and sweetness from the Malbec if a bit more brooding and serious in the early going. If this wine does not yet display the subtle complexity of the 2017 Cabernet, it already stands out for its sexy use of new oak, smooth texture and tangy salty minerality. The palate-staining, taste bud-titillating finish is stylish, suavely tannic and very long, with terrific mineral grip. (Incidentally, a second sample showed similar components but they were far more knit, and this bottle more clearly displayed the Cabernet Franc component in its tobacco leaf and black pepper notes. I can see this wine going on for at least another decade.) (14.5% alcohol; from 17-year-old vines in Finca Dominio Gualta, just below Catena's Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, cropped at about 2.5 tons per acre; aged in 100% new oak)"

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"A blend of malbec and cabernet franc, this red shows depth and focus with tightness and beauty. Full-bodied and very tight with some tar and asphalt. Very long and compact. Needs a year or two of bottle age. Try after 2021."

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"Bright, full ruby. Lovely nutty oak notes complement blackberry and violet on the nose. In a rather cool, even slightly lean style, showing an obvious herbal element to its dark berry and licorice flavors. The oak still needs a year or two to meld with the wine's fruit. Good calcaire lift gives grip to the finish."

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"There is great purity in the 2016 BenMarco Expresivo. It's floral, ethereal, fresh and complex, and it's still very young and lively in a way that I really like. This year the blend is 75% Malbec and 25% Cabernet Franc, with all the wild herbs and flowers from Gualtallary. It has a vibrant palate, with the varieties nicely integrated and complementing each other. 22,000 bottles were filled in July 2017."

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"This really builds on the nose with notes of pure blackcurrants, iodine, ink, graphite, crushed stones, flint, morello-cherry essence and licorice. The fresh purity of the fruit that permeates the entire palate is what makes this wine. The tannins are so compact and dialed-in, framing tons of violet and lavender flavors and carrying them long on the finish. 75% malbec and 25% cabernet franc. Drink in 2022."

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