Gould Campbell 1977 Vintage Port

Description

Gould Campbell 1977 Vintage Port presented in 75cl bottles. 1977 is a classic vintage and was declared by all the major Port Houses. The Ports  are structured, balanced wines with strong tannins, the wines from 1977 have great elegance and staying power. The best of them have the tannin and structure to age for decades. 

Gould Campbell Vintage Port is made by Symington Family Estates (SFE). The Port House was acquired by SFE in 1970 at the same time that the family bought Smith Woodhouse and Grahams. The firm was founded in 1797 by Garret Gould, who left his native Ireland for Portugal and established a trading company with offices in both Lisbon and Porto. After the Peninsular wars the firm went into partnership with the prestigious banking and mercantile family of James Campbell & Co, and the Port shipper has been known as Gould Campbell ever since.

Gould Campbell is a little bit unusual in that it doesn’t have Quintas associated with it, rather the Port is made from the SFE winemaker’s pick of the finest wines made from grapes sourced from local farmers in the area around Pinhão and the Rio Torto in the heart of the Douro winemaking region. That is not to say it is a lesser quality Port. It isn’t. Like Symington’s other small-production niche brands, Gould Campbell is often picked out as showing very well against the big names and providing excellent value for money.  In his classic reference book on Port and The Douro, Richard Mayson wrote “In both 1985 and 1983, Gould Campbell produced two wines with more depth of flavour than many of its better-known peers.”

In a discussion of the typical styles of each of the family brands Charles Symington, head winemaker, said that without the tie to a specific quinta and terroir-driven style, Gould Campbell gives him the opportunity to “just have some fun making interesting, satisfying wines.”  That said, Gould Campbell’s Vintage Ports tend towards a very full bodied, rich style. The 1977 is a landmark Vintage Port.

Read about how to decant Port here.