Reductive?

[johnz]

Pardon my ignorance, but what does "reductive" mean in a tasting note? Is it as simple a meaning as "closed/needing air"? I've seen "reductive" used in a TN for a wine also described as "tired"!??

[DavidG]

I've seen people use it for various different manifestations of sulfur: from rotten-eggy hydrogen sulfide to burnt match sharp-on-the-nose sulfites. Not sure which is the scientifically correct usage but it's hard to tell from a TN what the writer means unless they include more descriptors.

[Rieslingfan]

Burnt rubber is a descriptor I associate with reduction.

[Comte Flaneur]

Isn't it the opposite to oxidative?

[DavidG]

Chemically, yes. But in a TN it usually refers to smells produced by reducing compounds that are typically used to prevent oxidation, like sulfur. Thus the rotten egg, burnt match, burnt rubber references.

[DavidG]

Here's a much better explanation than I could possibly give.