Grand Cru Wine Merchants

BenMarco is the personal project of renowned viticulturalist Pedro Marchevsky. The 2007 Expresivo is a blend of 50% Malbec, 15% Bonarda, 15% Syrah, and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat. It was aged for 14 months in new French and American oak before bottling without fining and filtration. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an alluring bouquet of sandalwood, spice box, incense, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium- to full-bodied, it is already revealing considerable complexity, layered black fruit, plenty of spice notes and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. Give this classy effort another 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it from 2011 to 2022. -92pts WA (JM)

Bright ruby-red. Currant, plum, mocha, cola and chocolatey oak on the nose, lifted by a whiff of violet. Penetrating and intense, with juicy acidity restraining the wine's sweetness and nicely lifting its medium-bodied flavors of currant, plum, licorice and fresh herbs. The chocolatey oak component carries through on the palate. Finishes with dusty tannins and a bit of acidity yet to be absorbed. -90pts IWC (ST)