For The Love Of Port

I have only tried 3 vintages of Gould Campbell, being the '77, '83, '94 and '97

Alex is allowed to say that because he is an accountant by profession...

I don't believe that Tom and I have ever shared a bottle of GC'83, certainly not the one that Tom opened most recently.

Correct - I still have eleven bottles left from that case.

Tom

Sadly, the one place in town (that I could track down) that had any '77 GCs have sold out of them, so I likely will not get a chance to do so unless I make it to a UK or US destination that will have a supply of these.

'83 GC has been rarified around here as well. I have a TN from an '83 but rated it between 86 and 88 pts. From the TN I did, about a year ago:

Smooth and mellow, drinking well now, but perhaps with the stuffing to last 5-10 more years before falling off.
...
Not a blockbuster VP by any means, alright for drinking now. I likely won't try too many more simply because of the lack of complexity/true structure.

The 94 is available and I may pick up a bottle or two in order to try. Although I am aware I will overpay for the "priviledge" of having a '94, I would like to try one, although if I am interpreting what Fred has said, it may already be drinking very well and not have much to gain over another decade or two.

The only other GC I have tried is the '80, which was again, rated quite low. I thought it was over the hill and not great.

So to answer Roy's original question - I'm not sure of the three times I have had Gould Campbell (two of the same '80 Vintage) that I qualify to have a "favourite." I would pick the '83 over the '80 as it had a slight edge. Perhaps when I get a 94 that will be the winner.

Todd

Todd Pettinger wrote: Although I am aware I will overpay for the "priviledge" of having a '94, I would like to try one, although if I am interpreting what Fred has said, it may already be drinking very well and not have much to gain over another decade or two.

How much do you have to pay for it? I'd say that under 75$ it is correct price for Canada. I paid mine around 50$ back in 98 I think.

The four GC options available locally that I can find easily are:

1994 Gould Campbell Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Port - Vintage $81.99 (750mL)

2000 Gould Campbell Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Port - Vintage $64.99 (750mL)

2003 Gould Campbell Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Port - Vintage $59.99 (750mL)

1980 Gould Campbell Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal)
Port - Vintage $42.99 (375mL)

59$ for 2003 is a good price (66$ here)...

GC is probably where I've had the best QPR in vintage port, I really enjoy them a lot. I've had 70, 77, 83, 94 and 2000. 77 has been my favorite, 3 good bottles out of 4, although the "bad" bottle had only been decanted an hour, which might explain. For the 55$ I paid, was probably the best bottle I've ever had.

Steve

My GC 83 TN is on the homepage for your perusal.