#16 What is your favorite vintage of Gould Campbell VP?

[Roy Hersh]

I have been lax lately in coming up with #16 ... but here it is. Gould Campbell is a Port Shipper that is not talked about often on FTLOP, but there are some exceptional vintages of this Port.

What is your favorite and why?

[Frederick Blais]

I really enjoy this shipper. As I've seen bad top tier port, this one never deceived me... maybe I did not find the bad bottles too :)

While the '77 was really good at FTLOP Montreal's offline, I think that all in all, the '83 gave me more pleasure for my taste, so it gets my vote.

[João Rico]

77 Vintage

[David Spriggs]

For me - clearly it's the 1977. It's in my top 10 all time favorite ports. If you like all black fruits and power in your VP, then this is the one for you! The market has discovered this port in the last few years and prices have exploded from approx. 300 GBP to 550 GBP per case. In the US, prices start at $120 / bottle. Obviously, auction prices are better.

I'm also looking for some 1983 GC at a good price. That was a wine that was really talked up on release.
-Dave-

[Andy Velebil]

I also have to go with the 1977. When it is on, its a rock'n bottle and one of the top of the vintage. To bad it recently got a huge score as my little unknown VP is now hard and expensive to get. at least i got mine before the review came out :)

[Roy Hersh]

In the early 1990s, the 1977 Gould Campbell (and SW) could both be found at $19 and then jumped all the way to $29 at around the same point that '77 Fonseca went from $49 to $59 and quickly to $79. Taylor '77 jumped from $49 what I paid for my very first case of it to $59 during the same time frame. I bought most of my '77 GC at $29 and drank the majority of it then reloaded for what seemed like a high price circa 1997 at $39. Funny thing, I have kept most of my invoices from 1992-1997, so it is amazing to look back on occasion. Although my early purchases were in the mid-late 1980s ... typically those were done a bottle or two of each, at a time. Pricing was silly back then. I hear stories from two friends in their mid-60s who were buying in the 1970s and their pricing stories are much crazier.

[Tom Archer]

My experiance of Gould Campbell is extremely limited, although I'm drinking an '83 at the moment.

The wines are strangely scarce - although they are routinely declared alongside their brethren in the Symington stable, there is very little in the market place, and some vintages are much more common than others.

Even when set to 'all countries', wine-searcher can find nothing prior to '63, and a very lean offering for subsequent vintages when compared to the hits you get for Dow, Graham or Warre.

I have just three vintages in my cellar, compared to eight for Smith Woodhouse, and thirteen for Warre.

Of the three, I have yet to pop a bottle of the '94, while the '83 and '77 are surprisingly similar.

Tom

[Alan Gardner]

Oh for the days of the English Bottlings (mostly).
My best is the Berry Brothers & Rudd bottling of the 1966 G-C. And most of my versions were in half-bottles which were certainly uncommon before the last 20 years.
So I'm probably biased because it was the wine I always used to pull when I needed a 'taste' rather than a 'drink'. And it was doubly useful as the half-bottles were recycled to hold the remaining half of a full-bottle (assuming it wasn't finished).
Oh, yes! It tasted pretty good too (as do most 66's).

[Jay Powers]

I have only limited experience, but the '77 is great, and my favorite. I have a case plus, that I got at AIW for ~US$60/bottle I think less than a year ago (may have been up to two years). Probably the best deal I ever got on VP on the west coast! And darn good!

Jay

[Roy Hersh]

This week, to celebrate the 3 year anniversary of the Forum, I opened what has typically been my favorite Gould Campbell. Unfortunately, I've never tried the legendary 1927 which is supposed to be an amazing bottle. I have had the '77 many times and once quite recently. It is very solid and I can understand why it is a "crowd favorite." Before making a final decision, I wanted to have a more current reference point.

That is now done and the 1983 Gould Campbell wins as my all time favorite. My TN will be in the upcoming newsletter, although the note itself is already complete. I love this Port and don't know why it doesn't get far more love here and elsewhere. Tom mentioned that he'd had it recently but wasn't sure where it was heading. To me, there is no question where this is going. If it is not the best Port made in 1983, it is certainly in the top 2 or 3 and rivals the Graham's for that honor and I like it even more than the Dow, which is also very sound. Longevity is a strong suit here too.

[Tom Archer]

Tom mentioned that he'd had it recently but wasn't sure where it was heading. To me, there is no question where this is going. If it is not the best Port made in 1983, it is certainly in the top 2 or 3 and rivals the Graham's for that honor and I like it even more than the Dow, which is also very sound. Longevity is a strong suit here too

My doubts are centred on the wine's lack of conformity to the '83 signature, and close similarity to that of '77 a few years back; - despite the colour, there is a certain lack of body.

The 77's were lauded as 'a wine for life' by Mayson in his first edition; a view he courageously reversed in the second edition. It is now becoming increasingly apparent that the '77's are aging prematurely, and my uncertainty centres on the possibility that GC '83 is cast in the same mould.

Tom

[Roy Hersh]

I can't speak for Richard, but I can certainly tell you that from my two day evaluation of the '83, it has not only gobs of fruit, but very crisp acidity and a solid backbone structurally. To comment on your mention of the body, I am not sure what you are alluding to exactly. This was so concentrated and viscous, I would have sworn it was a huge young 2000 VP. Body weight and dimension was certainly not an issue. I hope others will open a bottle of the 1983 to give their opinions. Mine is that this is a veritable youngster with a very long life ahead of it and it should live for another 2-3+ decades with no problem. The tannins are round and moderate, not huge anymore ... after all, it is 25. However, it is a very delicious drink today.

Tom,

What did you think of the '83 Gould's flavor? Did you like it? I assume that when you put it in the same class as the 1977 ... another fine wine, although I prefer the '83 personally ... that you at least enjoyed it. I'd like to hear more on your take though.

[Tom Archer]

What did you think of the '83 Gould's flavor? Did you like it?

It did not hugely wow me. It took a very long time to compose itself after decanting, (peaking at day 4) with some odd notes along the way.

It wasn't corked, but it may otherwise have been a poor bottle, although it came from a case that had been in professional storage since release. I'll tackle another in a year or so. I scored this one 5-5

Anyway, that bottle is history now, and my next victim is another of your favourites - a Croft 1991 will be decanted later today.

Tom

[Frederick Blais]

I can't speak for Richard, but I can certainly tell you that from my two day evaluation of the '83, it has not only gobs of fruit, but very crisp acidity and a solid backbone structurally. To comment on your mention of the body, I am not sure what you are alluding to exactly. This was so concentrated and viscous, I would have sworn it was a huge young 2000 VP. Body weight and dimension was certainly not an issue. I hope others will open a bottle of the 1983 to give their opinions. Mine is that this is a veritable youngster with a very long life ahead of it and it should live for another 2-3+ decades with no problem. The tannins are round and moderate, not huge anymore ... after all, it is 25. However, it is a very delicious drink today.

Tom,

What did you think of the '83 Gould's flavor? Did you like it? I assume that when you put it in the same class as the 1977 ... another fine wine, although I prefer the '83 personally ... that you at least enjoyed it. I'd like to hear more on your take though.

On my side, that GC was definitively not looking as young as a 2000 and neither as young as Graham's 83 which I think is superior in quality. Though it was still looking young, packed with fruit and mighty licorice, which is a signature I did find in 94,83 and 77. Though I think Tom might have gotten a bad bottle, he's right when he says that the 83 has a very similar profile than 77. In fact, I did drink 77,83 and 94 in the last year and all 3 were very similar. I'm surprised of the quality but also the lack of Vintage characteristic showing trough those 3 wines.

[Al B.]

I have only tried 3 vintages of Gould Campbell, being the '77, '83, '94 and '97. Out of these, the '77 is my favourite - but only when it is a good bottle. So far I am running at one really good bottle out of every five.

If it is not the best Port made in 1983...

Now there's an idea for when we run out of shippers

[Frederick Blais]

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

Can I ask what level of studies do you have in mathematics?

[Roy Hersh]

Frederick,

How did I know it would be YOU of all people to make the correction?

The '83 GC I opened was the equivalent of many 2000s I've seen and at the oldest, I would have guessed (even the 2nd day) 1994.


Alex,

Welcome back! Was your impression from the same bottle as Tom's? Now reading his last email, I agree with Fred, it was an off bottle in some way.

The one I followed very closely this week was one of the few that probably could have been enjoyed without any decant time as from the initial pour, it was ready to go and reminded me stylistically of the 1994 Vesuvio in many ways, except with softer tannins. But it was boisterous in terms of the fruit concentration and body, acidity and berry intensity. I have had these for a long time and maybe storage came into play.

[Frederick Blais]

Frederick,

How did I know it would be YOU of all people to make the correction?

The '85 GC I opened was the equivalent of many 2000s I've seen and at the oldest, I would have guessed (even the 2nd day) 1994.

Cough Cough, was that left on purpose? Was it 85 or 83 :help: :devil:

[Al B.]

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

Can I ask what level of studies do you have in mathematics?

That would be the branch of mathematics studied after a bottle of port has been drunk!

[Al B.]

Welcome back!

Thank you - but it's only a bring visit unfortunately as my travels take me off again next week for a while

Was your impression from the same bottle as Tom's?

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.