After an enforced sabbatical, I'm ready for the good stuff

Many apologies for being away so long.

Not only did our computer go on the fritz for several days last week, I did, too: An early-season flu KO'ed me Oct. 10, leaving me with the mental and physical energy of a garden slug. As a result, I took a week-long sabbatical from wine, downing TheraFlu Severe Cold Formula, NyQuil, and Early Times toddies. (Why deplete what little there is of your tiny wine collection when you know full well that your taste buds wouldn't be able to discern Arbor Mist from '61 Petrus?) By now, I'm almost back to normal, as is my palate ... provided it hasn't been assaulted too badly by a week's worth of cold meds. No matter: I'll talk about one of my top wine finds of the year, one that The Better Half and I discovered at the end of July.

On the last Sunday of July, we made the 100-mile drive to Julian, a rustic 19th-century mining town 4,235 feet above sea level in northeastern San Diego County. About 1,600 folks are year-round residents of this artsy-quaint locale, an official California Historic Landmark that bursts its seams each autumn with tourists celebrating the town's Apple Days festival. After about three hours of hoofing around town that sun-splashed afternoon checking out the town's historic sites, we strolled into the tasting room of Witch Creek Winery (http://www.witchcreekwinery.com/) to see for ourselves what was behind the wines' eye-catching labels.

WITCH CREEK WINERY 2006 AGLIANICO/VALLE DE GUADALUPE: $16

Established 15 years ago in Carlsbad, Witch Creek Winery is named after a small waterway near the northern San Diego County town of Ramona. The winery itself sources its grapes from some rather esoteric regions, most notably Valle de Guadalupe in northwestern Mexico, roughly 14 miles north of Ensenada. The fruit goes into small-production wines, termed by their vignerons as "rich, full bodied, and well balanced." While oenophiles can find plenty of pleasure from Witch Creek's reserve Cab, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc, it's the lesser-known varietals that really sing. (Kudos to the Wodehouse family, the founders of Witch Creek Winery, for having the vision to go with a host of Italian and Spanish grapes -- Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, and Sangiovese, for starters -- that thrive in their Californian and Mexican vineyards.) The star of the show, however, is the '06 Aglianico. If the name of the varietal doesn't ring a bell, don't fret; it's a grape from the southern Italian regions of Campania and Basilicata that nearly always ends up in a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In its Italian incarnation, Aglianico makes for hearty, boisterous, full-flavored drinking -- which, interestingly, is the polar opposite of its Mexican counterpart.

Pretty, soft, and exquisitely balanced are the words we repeated as we plumbed the Aglianico's character. The juice is truly a charmer, starting with its ruby-red hue and continuing with its appealing, fresh nose of Bing cherries, raspberries, and crabapples. Add lovely and subtle hints of black pepper, cloves, leather, and smoke to the appealing fruit flavors -- as well as a supple, rounded notes of lilac and pepper on the gently lingering finish -- and you've found a genuinely food-worthy wine with more pairing possibilities than can be imagined. It'll drink well, and distinctively, for another three or four years. (Need more info? The '06 Aglianico was awarded a bronze medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition earlier this year.)

Is there a negative side to this beauty? Sadly, yes: The manager of the Julian tasting room told us that the head folks at Witch Creek make sure that their wine is available only at their tasting sites (Julian and Carlsbad), or by phone or online order. On the other hand, its modest price tag -- $20 -- more than compensates for its relative inaccessibility.

After finishing this entry, I'm more than ready to make toddies a thing of the past.