June 7, 2009 Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come. Thomas Carlyle, b. 1795 Having just arrived back at the winery after a month on the road, I found myself facing Auction Napa Valley weekend again, the official beginning of our summer! People visit from all over the globe to taste and participate in extraordinary winery events, lending a festive air to this weekend every year. And the positive impact of this auction on the entire Valley has been tremendous. From the youngest to the oldest, many members of our community have benefitted from over $85 million donated by the Napa Valley Vintners association to date. We expected to see many familiar friends over the next few days, beginning with Steven Sokel from the Tampa area. Out in the wider wine world, Anthony and I have been busy calling on many of our major partners around the country, helping Bell get its share of attention in NJ, MA, ME, FL, AR, OK and MO. I wish all our friends could have joined us for a wonderful event in Little Rock recently – Clark and Henrik hosted a huge event for the local Bell fans. Almost 200 people turned out to taste through our wines and feast on Henrik’s delicious buffet, an amazing group of true Bell fans that Colonial Wine and Spirits has been nurturing for many years now. Anthony has always remarked on the wonderful people in Arkansas; now I’ve seen it for myself. He and our broker, Sue Harshaw, have built many relationships there and it was a pleasure to spend several days experiencing it all with Anthony. Our deepest thanks to Sue and her family for graciously letting us participate in their life for the week. It was wonderful. Now, I’ll return the favor and let Anthony experience the fun of our Massachusetts market. Our broker there, John Avery, has his dance card filled with events every night and sales calls every day. Anthony will be at Spirited Gourmet in Belmont Tuesday evening, at Upstairs on the Square on Wednesday for dinner, and at the Sherborn Inn on Thursday, also for dinner. Enjoy the fabulous season of summer, wherever you might be, and if gets too hot for you, take a look on our Facebook page for a couple pictures of Bell in the coolest place on Earth…taken by our flying friend, Lt. Col. Jim McGann, Deputy Commander, 62nd Operations Group, McChord AFB. Thanks Jim!