1980 Gould Campbell Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

I picked up 6 half bottles of this Port from WineLibrary.com for $20 each about a year ago. Circumstances at the time prevented me from ordering a couple of cases or I would have done so... and I really wish I'd been able to. My first glass was pop-n-pour so didn't show especially well, but it opened up very nicely for the second glass and was rocking along after 24 hours.

1980 Gould Campbell Vintage Port
375 ml bottle

Color: Dark red or garnet with maybe just a touch of bricking at the edge. It's not quite fully opaque in the center, but it's pretty close.

Nose: Initially muted, it started showing lots of black cherry and cocoa powder after 24 hours. There's also a slight impression of smoke and a background of purple brambles.

Palate: Very rich, lots of black cherry and chocolate. On the sweeter end of things, but only medium body weight so the sweetness doesn't get thick or cloying. Excellent acidity that's very much hidden behind all of the fruit. Unless you're really paying attention you might think it's lacking in acidity, but it's literally mouth watering and that comes from the acidity. The flavors are deep and bold but strangely one note. It's a very nice note, though.

Finish: Fruity but rather short for such a luscious Port. There's a little echo of something green that eventually resolves to apple stems/seeds.

Score: 92 points. But for a couple of quibbles this could have been outstanding, but I'll settle for "merely" excellent. If this half bottle was normal, it will continue to improve for at least another 10 years.

[Eric Menchen]

I've been drinking through my six from the same source, and some are better than others. This bottle that you just opened represents the peak of the range so far.

[Glenn E.]

I noticed that there was quite a bit of variability in the TNDB. I wonder what that's from?

[John M.]

This showed very well at the Baga-Esque tasting last March (93 pts from me). I've had it two other times--once with bottle stink. The other I had it at 92 although by my notes it should be a slightly bigger difference than the score....I have no more

[Andy Velebil]

Well it is from a time period that has had its fair share of issues so no surprise on the bottle variation.

[Eric Menchen]

Also, the WineLibrary bottles, IMHO, were not in pristine condition. I wonder what kind of life they led before they came to us.

[John M.]

[quote Eric Menchen rote:

» Tue Jul 30, 2013 10:02 am
Also, the WineLibrary bottles, IMHO, were not in pristine condition. I wonder what kind of life they led before they came to us.[/quote]

That's a shame--mine were all perfect. They looked brand new.

[Glenn E.]

Also, the WineLibrary bottles, IMHO, were not in pristine condition. I wonder what kind of life they led before they came to us.

That's a shame--mine were all perfect. They looked brand new.

Mine too. Well, hopefully that means that my remaining 5 will show as well as this one did!

[Eric Menchen]

Mine looked decent on the outside, but under the seals, the top of the cork looked rather nasty. Guess I should have had mine shipped sooner, as it appears I didn't get the pick of the lot.

[David Spriggs]

Mine were perfect and showed very well. I haven't opened up any of the half bottles, so I guess I should dig one out of the cellar.

[Glenn E.]

Mine looked decent on the outside, but under the seals, the top of the cork looked rather nasty.

Oh, yeah mine looked like that too. Then again, I've found that to be true of just about every "older" bottle of Port that I've ever opened.

[Bradley Bogdan]

Mine looked decent on the outside, but under the seals, the top of the cork looked rather nasty.

Oh, yeah mine looked like that too. Then again, I've found that to be true of just about every "older" bottle of Port that I've ever opened.

+1

[John Danza]

I've been drinking through an original case (750ml) I bought a few years ago for under $35/bottle. This is a vintage I really like, having a number of unheralded wines. This has always been a rock star wine for me, second only to the extraordinary 1980 Dow. It definitely needs air, so even from a 375ml I wouldn't just PNP. Unless these bottles were cooked or frozen, I'm hoping they'll still show ok for you with the right prep.

[Moses Botbol]

I have a bunch of these and my memory serves me as them just being average. Not as good as '85. I do like having the half bottles around. They're fun to bring into work on a Friday afternoon for a few of us to have a little port before the weekend.