A whirlwind visit to New York and now back amongst the silent cypresses.  Highpoints; Soldera Riserva 2002 at the Four Seasons, Carlo’s eclectic collection of wines in his beautifully designed Le Vigne store, the lovely Cynthia and her phone-retrieving tricks at Vestry Wines, corn zuppa at Beppe where I saw many friends on their very complete Tuscan wine list, great tastings at Il Giglio, Blue Ribbon and Gabriel, the delightful company of my Domaine reps and the positive reception of our wines, the pleasure of meeting up with some good friends at the tasting (thank you Rick, Leo and John for coming) and a madcap rickshaw ride in rush-hour. Lowpoints: carrying the heel from my new shoes in my handbag and a nine hour flight reeking of cigar smoke after a late meeting at the Grand Havana Room. I am now back on the estate with my neighbour’s pumpkin crop preposterously grown in just 5 days and the grapes closer than ever to harvest. Roll on 2009!