How to be sure?

[Rubby]

Recently I won my first auction bid.
It was a mixed lot of 8 bottles with the price bottle being a Taylor's 1970 VP.
I'm very happy with it (look > )

BUT.

I didn't have time to go to the auction itself, so I first set eyes on the lot on the day of collecting.
All bottle labels showed severe signs of damage. Even the youngest bottle, which was bottled only in 1997(!), so my guess is water damage of the worst kind.

The catalogue named 2 bottles of Gould Campbell 1970 VP.
From both labels the last digit of the year has vanished.
Both capsules state no year (no name either, but this could be the case for all GC capsules).
Looking at the labels, it even crossed my mind that someone has tried to sell two bottles of 197X for 1970, but for now that doesn't seem likely (looking at the last two pictures, I wouldn't say that the damage was done recently).

Some pictures:







Here's my question:
are these 1970 bottles?
Ofcourse I will be sure once I pull the cork, but I'd love to know your ideas...
With a Port collection as small as mine, one just needs to know.

Thanks.

[StevieCage]

Ruddy, the label states that it was bottled by an English company (one that I have never heard of, BTW): 1970 was the last year that was possible. So yes, you do have 2 bottles of 70GC. Fill level on the left bottle is low though - what else was in the lot?

[g-man]

for a 70s bottle, the fill levels are actually acceptable.

[RonnieRoots]

Looking at these labels, I don't think it has to be water damage. A humid cellar can do the same thing. There is nothing wrong with that. And indeed, those bottles have to be 1970.

[Andy Velebil]

for a 70s bottle, the fill levels are actually acceptable.

I agree and those old labels were really thin and brittle. They look as though they were damaged being put in and take out of a wine storage racking. They look good to me from the pics.

[benread]

I am sure you would have lots of willing friends if you suggested bringing one of these to an offline!

Are you by any chance also a child of 1970?!

[Rubby]

Ruddy, the label states that it was bottled by an English company (one that I have never heard of, BTW): 1970 was the last year that was possible. So yes, you do have 2 bottles of 70GC. Fill level on the left bottle is low though - what else was in the lot?

Wow. That was the kind of knowledge I was hoping for. Thanks everyone!

The lot consisted of:
1x Taylor's VP 1970
2x Gould Campbell VP 1970
1x Taylor's Crusted 1974 (turned out to be somewhat of a rarity!)
1x Gould Campbell LBV 1988 (consumed already, tasting note to follow)
1x Rozès LBV 1991 (consumed already, tasting note posted)
2x Finest Ruby Port, Merchant Vintners Company Ltd., bottled by Fonseca Guimaraens (the lot filler)

Are you by any chance also a child of 1970?!

I am! These are my first 1970 VP's. It's one of the main reasons why I really wanted this lot!

[benread]

me too. Maybe one day we should organise a children of 1970 drink their birth year offline! There is at least one other child of 1970 lurking here. How many more i wonder and in which country?

[SushiNorth]

Wow. That was the kind of knowledge I was hoping for. Thanks everyone!

Congrats on the acquisition (and ident relief)!

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've only just seen the pictures, but I can add to the general sense of well-being.

The labels on the GC70 look to me as though they have suffered the normal sort of damage that occurs to bottles stored in cool damp cellars.

And don't let Stevie put you off the bottle on the left. The fill may be lower than the one on the right, but I would be very happy with a fill on a 1970 port that was just into neck.

Looks like we really do have to organise a 1970 horizontal for sometime in 2009 ... or maybe we organise a "bring a bottle of vintage port from your own birthyear" offline next year ...

[Conky]

Sounds like the sort of mixed case we'd all love to stumble across.
To continue the theme, the paper can suffer, but if the glass and cork are intact, hope springs eternal.
Hope when you open them, you've found some gems.

Alan.