Can someone explain this Suckling quote to me?

[JimHow]

I just got the latest Wine Spectator, in which James suckling praises the quality of the 2009 vintage, compares it to 1982 except better, etc., etc.

He says he tasted hundreds of wines over a three week period, etc., etc. He says some have questioned whether the wines are over-extracted, taking on too much oak, etc.

Then at one point he makes the following statement:

"Moreover, I am not afraid of what some have described as overextraction in the 2009 wines. I think that any impression of the wines as slightly overly tannic young reds is more of a question of the wines taking on a lot of the new wood during their first few months in barrel. This is normal in the evolution of a young wine, and after tasting from barrel for 27 years I have seen it happen many times. It didn't help that a low-pressure weather system held during most of the last two weeks the wine world came to Bordeaux to taste the barrel samples; it made the young wines seem tighter and harder than usual. But I found I could evaluate them just fine.

Can anyone explain to me what he is talking about in the highlighted sentence?

[stefan]

Maybe it affects the sinus cavity of the tasters? Just a guess.

[JonB]

I've seen tasters comment on that frequently. RP in his 2009 report "If any inconsistency was found in those wines tasted on numerous occasions, it is noted in the tasting notes. I was fortunate that on eleven of the twelve days I enjoyed sunny, low humidity weather that offered perfect tasting conditions. Obviously, one can't control the weather, but tasting barrel samples becomes a little trickier if a low depression descends on Bordeaux, and it is cold and rainy. I had none of those conditions during my tastings. That might help explain why the tastings were remarkably consistent."

[JimHow]

So weather affects the taste of wine?

That one is a first for me.

[DavidG]

I've heard this numerous times. I've also heard that wine tastes worse at altitude (airplanes, mountains) due to low pressure. Other than most airplane wines being suck-y to begin with, I can't say that I can confirm either from personal experience. I've had some killer wines on rainy days and in Aspen and Snowmass. Then again what do I know? I'm no professional taster. Perhaps some people are more sensitive to atmospheric pressure than others, due to sinus issues, etc. Or maybe lousy weather just has a depressing effect on the taster's mood. Would be interesting to hear what our Colorado contingent thinks about this, and Harry (Pauillac?), who's an ENT, if he's still reading.

[JimHow]

I think it is just more wine snob nonsense.
All these so-called experts who can supposedly taste these nuanced differences in wines inevitably get humbled when they drink wines truly blind.
It's all a bunch of bullshit.

[Harry C.]

I also have heard this periodically, but I have usually only heard this with regard to Burgundy tastings. (I always lumped this in with all the other excuses Burgophiles use to explain why their wine didn't show as well as expected.) This is the first time I can recall where the weather was used to explain a Bordeaux' showing. I do not know of any scientific explaination, if there is one. (And David, I do still read, post less.)

[HarryKaris]

BS

[JCNorthway]

My wine shop owner talks about different types of days for tasting wines. I believe it is not weather driven, but calendar based. I can almost hear the terminology he uses to describe good and not good days for tasting - almost.

Jon

[JEP_62]

Could it be fruit and flower days vs leaf and root days? These are based on a biodynamic calendar.

Andy

[DavidG]

I don't believe it happens in the first place, at least not for me. I might be able to accept that it happens for some people. But I can't buy the biodynamic and calendar explanations. They are even more, well, loonie might be the most approprate term here.

[greatbxfreak]

It's bull..., he's just polishing his glory.

WEather has nothing to do - it's more how many doughnouts you ate until late night before tasting or making love for many hours or went to sleep 4am, stood up 7 am looking like s... and then all the wines few hours later taste like horse or cat p....

[Harry C.]

I have usually heard it talked about barometric pressure, hence the Suckling quote.

[Mike Christensen]

I think it meant that he wore his tin-foil hat the days he tasted the wines...

[sdr]

I thought this was all BS too until I was at a tasting at a friend's house last summer just before a storm and every single wine was dull. No bouquet on any of them, all sullen and withdrawn. Reliably good stuff too, including Ducru, Palmer and Latour from multiple vintages. The next evening after the storm passed, all the wines (different ones) showed very well.

Stuart

[Houndsong]

We were joking last night about it. I think a cold front was pushing in, casuing the thunderstorm. If the wines could have been better, I don't know how ... well maybe we should not drink without consulting the forecast.

[JimHow]

Boy I've seen a lot of changes in weather patterns here in Maine, the weather can change about five times a day sometime, I'm having a really hard time ever recalling my wines tasting differently because of the Maine weather from one hour to the next.

[stefan]

Stuart, it is not surprising that the wines were sullen--your hurricanes are fierce!

[Houndsong]

We also discussed the barometric pressure angle. Average pressure at sea level is 29.90." Defenders of this theory will have to fall back on the "changing barometer" theory because in Denver we were fully four inches of mercury less barometric pressure (25.80") than sea level and the wines tasted fine. At my house in Woodland Park (elevation 8800') wine tastes fine and we have just approximately three quarters of the barometric pressure as at sea level. I notice no difference when I take wines to Salida or drink them from my cellar there and the elevation is 6990' and the barometric pressure correspondingly higher. And weather-related pressure changes what, about two inches from very high pressure to very low pressure. So as for any actual effect on the wine I call bullshit. Now, if the observer happens to be under the weather because of the weather and can't appreciate the wine as well as under warm sunny conditions, maybe. But some of my best wine experiences have come back in Virginia during Mary Shelley weather with cold rain pouring and eaves groaning, in front of the fireplace. But as I've said before I have a coarse palate. Perhaps a high-strung, acute sinus is what is needed to truly apreciate wine, and perhaps it needs ideal, stable conditions to do so.

[Chasse-Spleen]

Here is Neal Martin adding a bit of barometric info to a note...

"A deep garnet/purple colour. The nose is lacking a little definition and brightness (perhaps due to the miserable weather when tasting?) Brambly black fruits, a touch of wild hedgerow and a little earth. The palate is very clean on the entry, well defined with a slight grainy texture. Compact, perhaps a little earthier than usual, more tertiary but the finish has not so much a great depth, but a tangible succulence to it, whilst finishing with a sprinkle of white pepper. Moderate length. Tasted April 2008...88-90" -Neal Martin of WA 04/08 -From the Zachy's website - he is talking about the Ch. Margaux 2nd wine

BTW, if there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now..

[Chasse-Spleen]

Sorry, I was too lazy to go back to the original page - Pavillon Rouge du Margaux 2007

[DavidG]

So Neal Martin is prone to a bit of speculation as to why a wine didn't show as well as expected? He's got lots of company. At least he's not blaming the phase of the moon or whether the corkscrew went in clockwise or counterclockwise. I still don't buy that bad weather, low pressure, or dropping pressure affects the wine, though I don't doubt it affects the taster, some more than others.