james suckling retires?

[hotwine]

Suspect there's more to Suckling's "retirement" than the announcement would indicate. He seemed well-regarded in Bordeaux and has shown a very consistent palate, which I appreciate. So we wait for the real story to come out.

As for numerical scores: I find them useful if they're from a single person, and I've been able to calibrate my palate to the user's. For example, for me, Suckling's "WS92" is a sweet spot, so when he assigns that score to a wine, I pay attention - more than I would pay to a 94-96 from him, for that would indicate an over-the-top wine that's undoubtedly over-priced. It's all about consistency, so I know what to expect.

Will be interesting to see where he lands now.