How much influence does the winemaker have when it comes to LBV and Vintage Port?

[Roy Hersh]

The duo responsible for making Ports, the winemaker in tandem with the master blender, are more active with some categories of Port than others. How much influence do you think that the winemaker alone has for LBV and VP?

[Eric Ifune]

I think they have great imput into the style, but overall quality is due to vintage.

[Andrew E]

Having little insight or preference for any particular maker at this point in my port drinking career, I've found I stay away from names that really seem off the beaten path. Like I would be less likely to buy a bottle from some maker who's bottle shows up for $20 at Trader Joes or my local Safeway, or some other non-premium wine selection market. So I guess I'm also guided by where I'm buying the wine.

One example is some local supermarket in Anacortes, Washington. I was only stopping in to get some snacks for a whale tour and decided to peek at their ports and saw a couple of bottles of Gould Campbell 2007 VP. It wasn't a name I was familiar with so I wasn't really comfortable experimenting with the bottle either. Also given that Anacortes is just about in the middle of nowhere and such a small town I didn't have much faith in their selection. Come to find out it has some pretty decent tasting notes on here when I researched it later.

[Derek T.]

I think the winemaker has the same influence on LBV and Vintage as they do on any other style. These are the guys who make the components from which the blenders create the finished product. No one, no matter how talented, can make a great blend out of bad components. I think the same theory holds true for every link in the chain from the person responsible for tending the vines all the way through to the blender and the guy who makes sure the bottling line is clean and the corks aren't tainted.

This conversation reminds me of the story (or myth?) of JFK asking a cleaner what his job was at NASA and hearing the reply "My job is to help to put a man on the moon."

Everyone plays their part and if anyone does a bad job the final product will be compromised.

[Moses Botbol]

Somebody is making it and it's not a written recipe, so there has to be influence. The winemaker does try to make their port taste like their port, which makes sense.

[Roy Hersh]

Andrew,

You really should have bought those 2007 Gould Campbell bottles!

[Andy Velebil]

Andrew,

You really should have bought those 2007 Gould Campbell bottles!

+1

Gould Campbell really flys under the radar, which is a shame as they make some really great stuff. The 1977 and others from the 80's rock and so does the 2007, yet sadly are rarely talked about.