1980 Gould Campbell Vintage Port

[Andy Velebil]

Very dark color as is typical of this house. While there was pleny of young fruit, this came off as being hot and lean compared to the 1977's. A nice Port but we all agreed something just wasn't quite right with this bottle, though we couldn't put our finger on it.
88 points

[David Spriggs]

Wow. I loved this Port. Mine was delicious and still young! Do you know where you sourced it?

[Andy Velebil]

IIRC this was from the UK though it wasn't my bottle so I don't know exactly where it was sourced from.

[David Spriggs]

I see. Yes, "hot and lean" definitely sounds like there was a problem with this bottle.

[Roy Hersh]

It is off bottles like this that really skew the scores and accuracy of the TNDB. I looked at one Port yesterday, three people scored it in the mid-90's and one FTLOP'er give it 82 points (in what read like a clearly flawed bottle) and the entire average was brought down to a point that made the Port seem just good. I hate when that happens.

The 1980 Gould Campbell (I've opened 3 or 4 bottles in the past 15 months ... sadly not in TNDB ... but they've nearly all been young, dark, fresh and youthful, as David mentioned too. Solid bottles of the GC80 rival the excellence of the Dow and Graham's 1980 VPs, imo.

[Andy Velebil]

Roy People should also be reading the actual TN and not just the raw score. Wait, nevermind, what am I thinking.

[Glenn E.]

It is off bottles like this that really skew the scores and accuracy of the TNDB. I looked at one Port yesterday, three people scored it in the mid-90's and one FTLOP'er give it 82 points (in what read like a clearly flawed bottle) and the entire average was brought down to a point that made the Port seem just good. I hate when that happens.

It can be difficult to decide what to do with an "off" bottle. If I can't pinpoint something that explains why the bottle is off, then I feel like I have to give it a score. If it's obviously oxidized or flat or cooked then I'll give it a NR, but otherwise who am I to say that it isn't just bottle variation?

[Roy Hersh]

Or ... TCA?

[Roy Hersh]

Andy, have no fear, your TN was read ... clearly ... prior to my post.

BTW, my rant was based on what I saw in the TNDB, albeit a neighbor of yours not your score with the GC80. I realize you've likely had this many other times too.

[Glenn E.]

Or ... TCA?

Pfft. TCA is a myth. You guys are all crazy!

[Andy Velebil]

Andy, have no fear, your TN was read ... clearly ... prior to my post.

BTW, my rant was based on what I saw in the TNDB, albeit a neighbor of yours not your score with the GC80. I realize you've likely had this many other times too.

No worries, I was joking about how some fail to read a TN and only look at scores. Then think a wine isn't good overall as a result of that one score.

[Andy Velebil]

Or ... TCA?

Pfft. TCA is a myth. You guys are all crazy!

Glenn you deserve that in hopes we beat some TCA sensitivity into you so you may suffer along side your fellow brethren