First great port in 24 years
Posted: 20:01 Sun 06 Jul 2025
My first post here. What a pleasure!
Last night, I opened one of my six of hard-got 1977 Gould Campbells. (There should have been nine but the auction house clearly didn't package for transport well enough.
) I haven't had a vintage port of this calibre since I was at a feast in Trinity in 2001, when I had something from 1963, though I can't remember which one! It was absolutely sublime and the idiotic rule about always passing to the, erm... right..? got in the way of my enjoyment on our table of eight obviously philistinic imbibers. It was clear to me at that instant that I would have a lifelong attachment to great port.
Back the GC1977. I have to admit, I didn't like it at first. But it grew on me, especially as it opened up and changed in spectacular fashion - see notes below. It was probably either at its peak or slightly beyond it, but I don't think it's going to get worse with another ten years, just different. It's going to be interesting to find out. I know fancy and old Bordeaux much better than port, so I'm really just guessing. Any input, given my notes?
It was fun to open. It had a week to stand still in the dark, and I could have poured it almost completely without filtration, so little sediment was there, but I put my double muslin over my funnel and filled two small decanters anyway, just to get the last drops. The perfume that filled the room was astonishing! Quite an incredible blackcurrant scent, like fresh Ribena. I was being so careful with the pouring, I didn't think about it much at the time, which I regret now. Still, five bottles to go.
I tasted repeatedly over the next day. I opened it at 2pm just before going out, and did a quick sniff and swish-spit tasting so I wasn't drunk on the train. I should have just been tipsy on the train - it would have been better. But once I returned, I did a full-spectrum analysis. Here are the results - Oh! - you'll need a heads-up on my scoring method: It's out of ten, with a resolution of 0.5, but the numbers are merely for an instantaneous notion of how it was to me at the time. I'm perfectly well-aware that the day on which I taste something will affect the score. Mainly I keep numbers for repeat (non-)purchasing decisions. Colour out of 1, Nose out of 3, Body out of 3, Finish out of 3, but first a total:
=====
7.5 - but will probably be adjusted after a week of further tasting
C: hints of brown on the edge of dark garnet
0.5
N: on decanting fully perfumed the kitchen with blackcurrant like Ribena, some subtle wood notes, dark molasses, cherry, but it's all rather quiet very soon after.
3 hours: nose still very quiet, now something slightly vegetal, and a touch of class, a little bit of fruit cake, pure alcohol, oak wood obvious now, something green and herby - maybe a touch of menthol with cucumber, but overall still not holding together very well
6 hours: rose and violet and lemon sherbet!
8 hours: what is that? Cardamom and sage?! Not dissimilar to Benedictine
2.5
B: very little sediment, tannins super low for port, silky smooth, cucumber more clear, but lacking overall cohesion and balance
9 hours: if you like Benedictine liqueur you'll love this - lots of similar notes,
2
F: 3 hours: long, deep, mushrooms, alcohol-hot, caramel toffee
9 hours: longer fruit - blackberry and cherry
2.5
=====
And now I'll settle in for another evening of tasting, once the roast beef is done. Beyond that, I've got a small decanter left over in the fridge which I'll give a go next weekend. Actually, with the beef, I was thinking of tasting the other item I won in the auction - a 2009 Puech-Haut Prestige - but I wonder if the port might go quite well with beef? No doubt someone here's tried that before?
Oh, and if I can figure out how to attach pictures, I'll show you the interesting double capsule (I'm sure most here know about all this already, come to think of it...), and the amazing things that had grown underneath it, and its colour through a decanter.
Last night, I opened one of my six of hard-got 1977 Gould Campbells. (There should have been nine but the auction house clearly didn't package for transport well enough.
) I haven't had a vintage port of this calibre since I was at a feast in Trinity in 2001, when I had something from 1963, though I can't remember which one! It was absolutely sublime and the idiotic rule about always passing to the, erm... right..? got in the way of my enjoyment on our table of eight obviously philistinic imbibers. It was clear to me at that instant that I would have a lifelong attachment to great port.Back the GC1977. I have to admit, I didn't like it at first. But it grew on me, especially as it opened up and changed in spectacular fashion - see notes below. It was probably either at its peak or slightly beyond it, but I don't think it's going to get worse with another ten years, just different. It's going to be interesting to find out. I know fancy and old Bordeaux much better than port, so I'm really just guessing. Any input, given my notes?
It was fun to open. It had a week to stand still in the dark, and I could have poured it almost completely without filtration, so little sediment was there, but I put my double muslin over my funnel and filled two small decanters anyway, just to get the last drops. The perfume that filled the room was astonishing! Quite an incredible blackcurrant scent, like fresh Ribena. I was being so careful with the pouring, I didn't think about it much at the time, which I regret now. Still, five bottles to go.
I tasted repeatedly over the next day. I opened it at 2pm just before going out, and did a quick sniff and swish-spit tasting so I wasn't drunk on the train. I should have just been tipsy on the train - it would have been better. But once I returned, I did a full-spectrum analysis. Here are the results - Oh! - you'll need a heads-up on my scoring method: It's out of ten, with a resolution of 0.5, but the numbers are merely for an instantaneous notion of how it was to me at the time. I'm perfectly well-aware that the day on which I taste something will affect the score. Mainly I keep numbers for repeat (non-)purchasing decisions. Colour out of 1, Nose out of 3, Body out of 3, Finish out of 3, but first a total:
=====
7.5 - but will probably be adjusted after a week of further tasting
C: hints of brown on the edge of dark garnet
0.5
N: on decanting fully perfumed the kitchen with blackcurrant like Ribena, some subtle wood notes, dark molasses, cherry, but it's all rather quiet very soon after.
3 hours: nose still very quiet, now something slightly vegetal, and a touch of class, a little bit of fruit cake, pure alcohol, oak wood obvious now, something green and herby - maybe a touch of menthol with cucumber, but overall still not holding together very well
6 hours: rose and violet and lemon sherbet!
8 hours: what is that? Cardamom and sage?! Not dissimilar to Benedictine
2.5
B: very little sediment, tannins super low for port, silky smooth, cucumber more clear, but lacking overall cohesion and balance
9 hours: if you like Benedictine liqueur you'll love this - lots of similar notes,
2
F: 3 hours: long, deep, mushrooms, alcohol-hot, caramel toffee
9 hours: longer fruit - blackberry and cherry
2.5
=====
And now I'll settle in for another evening of tasting, once the roast beef is done. Beyond that, I've got a small decanter left over in the fridge which I'll give a go next weekend. Actually, with the beef, I was thinking of tasting the other item I won in the auction - a 2009 Puech-Haut Prestige - but I wonder if the port might go quite well with beef? No doubt someone here's tried that before?
Oh, and if I can figure out how to attach pictures, I'll show you the interesting double capsule (I'm sure most here know about all this already, come to think of it...), and the amazing things that had grown underneath it, and its colour through a decanter.