Hello from Avignon, France

[Bucko]

Just finished touring the N. Rhone -- the 2003s are disappointing for me -- very hot and raisiny. If you remember, record heats hit the region. People in the region say it was the hottest in 300 years. They picked on August 15th, when they normally don`t start until several weeks later.

We start touring the CdP in the am. I hope for better wines but don't expect to find them. VT is on the list of visits tomorrow, so if their wine from 2003 is disappointing, I suspect most will be.

Cheers.