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1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port

Posted: 22:50 Fri 22 Jun 2007
by DRT
I decanted the bottle and then immediately poured 375ml into a half bottle and placed it in the fridge.

On Decanting
Very dark bright red colour with a pink rim fading to clear at the edge. Slightly spiritous nose with lots of cherry fruit evident below the initial heat. Hot entry which faded very quickly to reveal very tannic dry fruits.

+7 Hours
Colour seems even darker than before. Heat has now gone from the nose now but it now has a smell like an old peaty malt whisky - 10 yr old Lagavulin to be precise - Black cherry taste becomming very very dry on the cheeks and palate. Hard to believe this is 29 years old.

+30 Hours
Two samples to taste at this point. The first was the last glass that had been in the decanter at room temperature for 30 hours. The second was from the half bottle that spent 24 hours in the fridge and then 6 hours in a decanter. Both samples were tasted at the same temperature.

1st sample - wet cardboard smell. Taste is now light and weak with a bitter finish. Not good

2nd sample - nice fruity smell with no spirit. Thick velvety mouth feel with big blackcurrant fruit and long slightly dry and tannic finish leaving the cheeks watering. Best yet, so I finished it there and then 8)

From my experiment at 30 hours I reckon that at 7 hours this wasn't quite ready. Perhaps at 10 to 12 hours from initial decanting the wine would show as it did for the 30 hour sample that had been in the fridge.

It would be interesting to see what this wine would do after 48 or 72 hours but from what happened at 30 hours in the decanter I'm not convinced it would recover. As I have another 11 bottles I suppose I could try it one day providing I can stop myself necking it down as soon as it peaks

Posted: 19:48 Sun 19 Aug 2007
by uncle tom
From a case bought some time ago - first bottle (which has been on Death Row so long, it probably thought it had a reprieve..)

On decanting, this is one dark wine for it's age - so dark it was very difficult to judge when to stop decanting.

First sip -

Derek's cherries are definitely there! This is coming over as very youthful - not yet mature, despite it's 30 years, and very different to the signature I've previously associated with '77.

There is something very 90's about this - it makes me wonder about the grape varieties used.

The shippers rarely reveal what went into a VP blend, but we do know that there was very little Touriga Nacional in the mid seventies, but major plantings took place thereafter. Could a large Touriga N content explain the difference between this and the other '77 vintage ports?

Let's see how this evolves..

..more anon

Tom

Posted: 00:20 Mon 20 Aug 2007
by uncle tom
"Dear diary, - went down the pub tonight, ended up playing darts blindfold - no serious casualties..."

~~~

Now back home (unperforated...!) - a nightcap...

If someone had given me this wine blind I would guess a '95 or '97 - it is completely immature

It is fragrant, and tooth grindingly tannic, but perhaps lacks the depth to develop into a blockbuster.

Will this follow the other '77's, and get old before it grows up...

I'm not sure..

Tom

Posted: 18:58 Mon 20 Aug 2007
by uncle tom
24 hours - time for a score

The raw youth of this wine really counts against it for immediate gratification, but it is full and fragrant - if I'd been given this wine blind, I would probably have called it a Vesuvio. There is also some persistant fire.

Those who are less tannin-averse might rate it more highly, but for the immediate, I don't think I can give this more than a 4.

Where's it going?

I don't get the same 'Peter Pan' impression of this wine as I have of other 77's - this one may well grow up before it gets old, although it's certainly taking it's time.

I'm going with the notion that this will be significantly better in ten years time.

Score 4-6

Tom

Posted: 12:35 Wed 22 Aug 2007
by uncle tom
Final note..

After 48 hours the fire had subsided - another '77 that needs two days in the decanter!

Tom