We’ve reviewed several vintages of Robert Craig’s Bordeaux-styled Affinity, but the 2007 is one of the best yet.

This year’s blend is heavier on the petit verdot, with a composition of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petit verdot, 8% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, and 1% malbec.

The result is impressive, a deep, cherry-infused wine with coffee and cocoa notes. The finish is jammy, almost sweet, but quite mild. Tannins are almost absent her, giving this wine a quiet demeanor and a lightness that makes it easy to drink solo, rare for a cab blend and particularly one of this youth. Something different from Robert Craig abnd worth seeking out.

A- / $42 / robertcraigwine.com

Two new whiskies from our friends at Sazerac and their compatriots north of the border. Both limited edition bottlings with unique pedigrees, these Canadian spirits are just now hitting the market.

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky is a deceivingly light orange color, belying the amount of rich flavor it has inside. Big orange and citrus character dominate the spirit, with spiciness from the whiskey’s rye underpinnings cutting through and bringing an exotic touch to the spirit’s finish. Wood character is light, with sweet vanilla notes from barrel aging giving plenty of balance to the racier notes in the blend. It isn’t a big or overwhelming whiskey, by any stretch, but unlike so many Canadian whiskeys it is really nice and smooth on its own, in need of nothing more than an empty vessel (no mixers, ice, or water) to enjoy it fully. 80 proof. A- / $50

Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whisky is less complex than Caribou Crossing, but it’s still a worthwhile whiskey. Redolent of maple syrup and mint, it’s got lots of grain-fueled rye character which adds a layer of spice atop this. Imperfectly balanced, the whiskey is more rustic in tone, though at only 80 proof hardly the rotgut stuff of the saloon era. B+ / $25

sazerac.com

Rum Jumbie (the name refers to spirits allegedly trapped inside the caves of the Caribbean who would possess the souls of rum drinkers) makes several light, flavored rums plus a rum liqueur.

The flavored rums are all uncolored, are sourced from Panama, and are bottled at a scant 48 proof. Flavors are natural but otherwise unspecified.

Here’s how they stack up.

Rum Jumbie Mango Splash has a delicate mango nose and moderate tropical flavor. A little bite on the finish, but a fine ingredient in a tropical cocktail if you like a rum with a very mild and light body. B+ / $16

Rum Jumbie Pineapple Splash captures the aroma of fresh pineapple, but the flavor is off. Pineapple notes are pushed aside by out-of-place cocoa and vanilla character, with a sort of woody finish. B- / $16

Rum Jumbie Coconut Splash is extremely sweet, with sugariness that drowns out a lot of the coconut character. As with the other Jumbies, it’s heavy on the nose with the prescribed fruit (coconut is a fruit, right?), but the body doesn’t totally pan out. (Try Brinley.) B / $16

Rum Jumbie Vanilla Splash has almost no vanilla aroma and what little vanilla flavor there tastes synthetic. Fortunately it’s so light it doesn’t really taste like much of anything. Not a fan. C / $16

Rum Jumbie Liqueur is a 60 proof concoction of “aged rum and tropical fruit flavors,” and it’s already awesome from the start because of the bottle shaped like a guy playing a bongo drum and wearing a straw hat that serves as the cap. The amber nectar inside however is not quite as cool. It’s got cola and orange notes, apples, and loads of cinnamon and other exotic spices… but it doesn’t really come together. Perhaps it’s the loads of sugar in the blend that makes this hard to put down more than a few sips of. Perhaps it could make an interesting cocktail ingredient… but how? It’s simply too muddy and sweet and leaves a varnish-like coating on your palate that I wanted to scrub off. C / $30

rumjumbie.com

France’s Loire Valley is rarely the first region that comes to mind when people talk about French wine. Located just west of Paris (and on to the coast), the Loire is a long stretch of land where many varieties of grapes and styles of wines are produced. The area, however, is best known for its whites, primarily melon de bourgogne (used mainly in Muscadet), sauvignon blanc (used mainly in Sancerre), chenin blanc (used everywhere else).

On the red side, Loire is more than half planted to cabernet franc, with gamay and other grapes also popular. Red Sancerre wines are typically pinot noir based.

But the Loire is so big that quality can be tricky, and in this tasting of wines mostly unavailable in the U.S. right now, it was all over the map. Of course the whites shined the brightest, with some really lovely, tropical-infused Sancerres from Domaine La Barbotaine, Eric Louis, and Jean-Max Roger. But I also found a soft spot for Laurent et Stephane Gouron’s Domaine Gouron wines, cab franc-based reds with good balance and body, better than you’ll find in many other major wine regions.

On the other hand there were some clear misses, with at least three wines I tasted smelling distinctly of various kinds of cheese.  I like to eat my cheese with the wine, not drink it all together. Ugh.

Notes and ratings follow. Remember however that most of these wines are not currently distributed in the U.S.

Tasting Report: Loire Valley Wines, 2010

2007 Domaine FL Le Chinin Anjou Blanc / B+ / crisp, bracing, grassy finish

2007 Domaine FL Le Parc Savennieres / A- / big mineral character, unique

2007 Domaine FL Roche aux Moines Savenniers / B- / green, off finish

2007 Domaine FL Quarts de Chaume / A- / huge dessert style with a dusty edge

2006 Domaine FL Cabernets Anjou / A- / rich, complex berry blend

2008 Domaine La Barbotaine Sancerre / B+

2009 Domaine La Barbotaine Sancerre / A / nice mango and peach tones

2008 Domaine La Barbotaine Sancerre (Red) / B- / simple

2008 Domaine du Clos de L’Epinay Vouvray, Still Medium Dry / B / brie aromas, slighly sweet

2008 Domaine du Clos de L’Epinay Vouvray, Still Moelleux / B- / very sweet

2008 Collegiale des Domaines de Loire Pascal Balland Sancerre / B

2009 Collegiale des Domaines de Loire Dominique Tessier Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers Saumur Blanc / C+ / funky blue cheese character

2009 Couillaud et Fils Domaine de la Potardiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B+ / aromatic with some bite

2010 Couillaud et Fils Domaine de la Potardiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B / cheesy notes, bigger body

2008 Couillaud et Fils Domaine de la Potardiere Vin de Pays de Val de Loire (red) / B+ / nice aperitif style

2008 Domaine de Cray Touraine / B+

2009 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Cuvee les Pierblancs, Sancerre / A- / flinty

2008 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Cuvee les Pierblancs, Sancerre (red) / B+

2008 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Cuvee Fossiles, Menetou-Salon / B / bigger body, sharp

2009 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Vin de France / A- / big minerals, flowery

2008 Laurent et Stephane Gouron Domaine Gouron, Cuvee Domaine, Chinon / B+ / far easiergoing than most cab franc

2007 Laurent et Stephane Gouron Domaine Gouron, Cuvee Terroir, Chinon / A- / big body, nice

2008 Guy Saget Le Domaine Saget, Pouilly-Fume / B+ / simplistic

2008 Guy Saget Domaine de la Perriere, Sancerre / B+ / rougher

2008 Guy Saget La Petite Perriere / A- / fresh tart notes, grapefruit

2008 Guy Saget Les Clissages d’Or, Muscadet Sevre et Maine / B / green

2009 Domaine Henri Poiron et Fils Domaine des Quatre Routes, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / C+ / a bit fizzy

2009 Domaine Henri Poiron et Fils Chateau des Grandes Noelles, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / C  / meaty, off

2009 Domaine des Herbauges Collection Plaisir, Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu sur Lie / B- / cheesy

2009 Jean Aubron Grand Fief de l’Audigere, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / C- / tired, difficult

2008 Jean Aubron Grand Fief de l’Audigere, Cuvee Elegance, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B

2003 Jean Aubron Grand Fief de l’Audigere, Cuvee Vieilles Vignes, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B / better balance

2008 Jean-Max Roger Les Caillottes Sancerre / A- / simple, melon notes

2006 Jean-Max Roger Vieilles Vignes, Sancerre / B

2008 Jean-Max Roger Morogues Le Petit Clos, Menetou-Salon / A- / crisp apricot notes

2008 Jean-Max Roger Les Chantes Alouettes, Pouilly-Fume / B+ / thinner

2008 Domaine Laurent Mabileau St Nicolas de Bourgueil / C / tannic

2009 Domaine Laurent Mabileau Bourgueil / C / pruny

2008 Domaine Lecomte Quincy / A- / lush, big bodied

2008 Domaine Lecomte Vieilles Vignes Quincy / A- / similar to standard bottling

2009 Domaine Lecomte Quincy / B- / chewy, 2008 a much better year

2009 Domaine Lecomte Vieilles Vignes Quincy / B+

2009 Prieure la Chaume Prima Donna Vin de Pays Vendee / A- / a “champagne without bubbles” – chardonnay and pinot noir blend

2009 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Sancerre / B+ / thinner but pleasant

2009 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fume / B / edgier

2008 Saumur Champigny Cuvee des 100 / B / hugely herbal

2005 Saumur Champigny Cuvee des 100 / A- / softer

Portuguese table wines are always a mixed bag, with rough-hewn whites and a wild variety of reds to contend with. This year’s Portugal grand tasting event was familiar (see 2008’s event report here), with lesser-known Port vendors vying for attention among makers of vinho verde and other wines amongst a crowded group of wine enthusiasts muscling their way around the room.

This year I found a soft spot in my heart for aragones, a variety of grenache grown here and in Spain, which produced some much more complicated wines than Portugal is typically known for. Several producers had good aragoneses (aragoni?) on tap, with some equally compelling wines made from touriga nacional grapes — a grape usually used to make Port. Would love to experience top producer Esporao’s wines again.

Ratings and a few notes on tasted wines (and one brandy) follow.

Wines of Portugal 2010 Complete Report

2008 Casa de Santar Reserva DOC Dao / A- / pineapple-like, charming

2009 Grilos DOC Dao / B+ / perfumy white

2008 Palestra DOC Douro / B+ / thin red

2005 Dona Maria Amantis VR Alentejano / B  / coffee notes

2005 Dona Maria Reserva VR Alentejano / B / tight

2007 CARM Reserva DOC Douro / B  / tight, vegetal

2008 Carmim Aragones VR Alentejano / A- / licorice, leather notes

2007 Charamba DOC Douro / B- / an oddity, like children’s juice

2008 Esporao Reserva White DOC Alentejo / B+ / perfumed

2007 Esporao Reserva Red DOC Alentejo / B / herbal

2007 Esporao Aragones VR Alentejano / A / great balance, 100% aragones grapes

2007 Esporao Touriga Nacional VR Alentejano / A- / deep, dark chocolate and menthol character

NV Krohn Porto 20 Year Old DOC Porto / A- / woody and good tawny character

NV Krohn Porto 30 Year Old DOC Porto / A  / a slight improvement

1968 Krohn Colheita DOC Porto / B+ / somewhat medicinal

1998 Krohn Colheita DOC Porto / B+ / dusty but lighter in style

NV Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserve Tawny Porto DOC Porto / B / 3.5 years aged, simplistic

NV Ferreira Duque de Braganca 20 Years Old Tawny Porto / B+ / vanilla character

NV Ferreira Quinta do Borto 10 Years Old Tawny / B+ / Cognac notes

2000 Ferreira Late Bottled Vintage Porto / B+ / fresh

2007 Ferreira Vintage Porto / B- / very fruity, jellybean like

NV Sandeman 30 Years Old Tawny Porto / A- / nutty with cocoa notes

2007 Sandeman Vintage Porto / B / not near ready for drinking

2000 Quinta do Pego Porto Vintage / B+ / oddly tannic

2007 Quinta do Pego Porto Vintage / B+ / easygoing

2007 Cartuxa DOC Alentejo / A- / very curious, fresh figs and cherry

2006 Cartuxa Reserva DOC Alentejo / A- / more balanced, like the standard bottling

NV Caldas Porto Fine White / A- / nutty with fig notes

2004 Quinta da Gaivosa Late Bottled Vintage Porto / A- / nice balance here

NV Quinta Tamariz VSOP Brandy DOC Vinho Verde / B- / harsh

2008 Patrimonio DOC Torres Vedras / A- / thinner, lighter style

2008 Casa Santos Lima LX VR Lisboa / B- / fruity finish but rough

2005 Brutalis VR Estremadura / B+ / not so brutal

2005 Dona Belmire Beiras VR Beiras / B

1994 Barros Colheita DOC Porto / B / green

1989 Burmester Colheita DOC Porto / B+

1989 Kopke Colheita DOC Porto / A- / good, mellow and muted

1975 Barros Colheita DOC Porto / B

2000 Calem Vintage Porto / B+ / feels young