2002 Crosspoint Pinot Noir (3/5 stars)

My friendly local wine purvayor smiles whenever I walk in the door. Mostly because he knows he can talk me into dropping $80 on wine without too much trouble. But he also knows that I visit him to find out what his latest steal is. By that I mean a wine that he found for well under the market price. He never disappoints, and I think he likes having an appreciative customer who he can share his good fortune with. I'm a big fan of burgundies, and he sets aside his best values for me to have first dibs on. Such is one of the perks of the $80 a visit relationship that we have.

His most recent gem was several cases of 2002 Crosspoint pinot noir. This wine needs no more than a half hour to open up, but even then it's not a big wine. Characterized by aromas of cherry jam, rhubarb and stewed strawberries with a faint touch of sage underbrush spiciness, it's a soft, fruit flavored, spicy wine with layers of complexity makes it an ideal accompaniment to roast duck with dried cherries and veal-based risottos.

You'll notice I rate this wine at 3 out of 5 stars. I'm tempted to rate it a little higher based on value. Normally this wine sells for $12. I picked up a case for $60. I think I'll go drink some more of my new house wine and continue gloating now.