218 Port anD the Douro
of good, solid LBV. But Fonseca reigns supreme with its fine ten- and twenty-year-old
tawnies and some of the most thrilling vintage Ports, which manage to combine both
power and finesse. Leaving aside 1983 and 1980 (both of which are light and rather
disappointing) 1994, 1985, 1977, 1966, 1963 and 1927 are classic, rapier-like wines that
are at the top in comparative tastings. Recently declared vintages like 2003, 2000 and
1997 are also on a par. Wines from good in-between years are sold under a second label,
Fonseca Guimaraens. Lacking the verve of great Fonseca vintage Port, they are similarly
well made, with Fonseca Guimaraens 1976 consistently outscoring other fully declared
vintages, notably many 1977s.
Forrester & ca.
(see under offley)
Gonzalez Byass
Sherry giant Gonzalez Byass maintained a strong presence in Oporto from 1896 until its
stocks of Port were sold to Vasconcelos in 1983. From the turn of the twentieth century
until the 1930s, Gonzalez Byass had an arrangement with the van Zeller family to buy the
production of Quinta de Roriz. Fearing that Spain would be invaded by Hitler in 1940,
Manolo Gonzalez, the third son of the Marquês de Torre Soto and a director of Gonzalez
Byass, was sent to Portugal. After the Second World War, he continued to divide his time
between Jerez and Oporto. Some good vintage Ports were declared by Gonzalez Byass as late
as the 1970s. Without a reputation to uphold, they are frequently undervalued at auction.
In 2001 Gonzalez Byass acquired Croft’s interests in Jerez.
Gould campbell
Symington Family Estates
travessa Barão de Forrester, 86, apartado 26, 4431-901 Vila nova de Gaia
tel. (351) 223 776 300
http://www.symington.com
This is one of seven companies belonging to the Symington Family Estates, collectively the
largest single Port shippers. Gould Campbell was founded in 1797 when Garret Gould left
Ireland for Portugal and established Messrs. Gould Brothers & Co. with offices both in
Lisbon and Oporto. Messrs. James Campbell, merchants and bankers, joined the partnership
after the end of the Peninsular War. The company was acquired by the Symingtons (along
with W. & J. Graham) in 1970.
Gould Campbell is still relatively unknown and is often thought of, somewhat
unfairly, as a sous-marque of the more famous Symington brands. The company has no
vineyards of its own and sources its fruit from independent quintas, mainly in the Covas
area downstream from Pinhão. Gould Campbell produce some big, beefy vintage Ports,
which are often good value for money but lack the finesse and refinement of their better
known Symington peers.