1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 5:14 pm
Purchased during an FTLOP subscriber's opportunity. Decanted at noon to drink with dinner at 6:30 pm. We're having Boeuf Bourguignon, so I wanted something big and robust without resorting to something young.
In browsing the TNdb, I note that scores range from 82 to 97 - and that's from one person! There appear to be three groupings of scores - one around 83, one around 91, and one around 96 so there is a lot of bottle variation in this Port. That said, the lowest scores seem to be from a particular bottling - Oporto bottled by Smith Woodhouse. *gulp* That's where this bottle came from. Hopefully the US-bound bottles and the UK-bound bottles are different.
Upon decanting a rush of black cherry, black raspberry, and prune aromas flowed into the room. So far, so good.
1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port
Color: Very dark purple-red. Opaque center. Fades through red and pink near the rim. It looks a lot younger than 37 years old - in fact you could probably insert this into a 1997 horizontal and no one would notice.
Nose: Lush fruits including black cherry, black raspberry, and prune. There are hints of some red fruits to come, but they haven't arrived yet.
Palate: Remarkably tannic for a 37-yr old VP. Black cherry, plum, hints of tart red cherry, and a mix of unidentifiable purple berries like loganberries and/or marionberries. Good acidity. Based on the tannins alone this Port needs 10 more years and it might not peak for 20.
Finish: Fairly average in length. Faint sweet spices to start, then echoes of the stone fruits as it fades. Moderate heat.
Score: 94 points. I waffled between 93 and 94 but finally decided to err in favor of the incredible structure.
In browsing the TNdb, I note that scores range from 82 to 97 - and that's from one person! There appear to be three groupings of scores - one around 83, one around 91, and one around 96 so there is a lot of bottle variation in this Port. That said, the lowest scores seem to be from a particular bottling - Oporto bottled by Smith Woodhouse. *gulp* That's where this bottle came from. Hopefully the US-bound bottles and the UK-bound bottles are different.
Upon decanting a rush of black cherry, black raspberry, and prune aromas flowed into the room. So far, so good.
1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port
Color: Very dark purple-red. Opaque center. Fades through red and pink near the rim. It looks a lot younger than 37 years old - in fact you could probably insert this into a 1997 horizontal and no one would notice.
Nose: Lush fruits including black cherry, black raspberry, and prune. There are hints of some red fruits to come, but they haven't arrived yet.
Palate: Remarkably tannic for a 37-yr old VP. Black cherry, plum, hints of tart red cherry, and a mix of unidentifiable purple berries like loganberries and/or marionberries. Good acidity. Based on the tannins alone this Port needs 10 more years and it might not peak for 20.
Finish: Fairly average in length. Faint sweet spices to start, then echoes of the stone fruits as it fades. Moderate heat.
Score: 94 points. I waffled between 93 and 94 but finally decided to err in favor of the incredible structure.