Barolo and the last of the tomatoes

It was a bit young, but we enjoyed an excellent Barolo the other night with a hearty ragu I created from sweet and hot Italian sausage (Premio, made in Rochelle Park, N.J., is the local brand I prefer) and the last of the tomatoes I picked last fall near our house on Long Island and froze for use over the winter. Freezingin Ziploc bags, I have found, is a whole lot easier than traditional canning, and the tomatoes maintain their sweet taste many months later. Alas, we’ll now have to wait until late next summer to experience those sweet, locally grown tomatoes.

In any event, the wine was the 2004 Barolo from Silvano and Elena Baroli, an excellent, surprisingly accessible example, given its youth, of the great nebbiolo grape from Italy’s Piedmont. It was full of earth, truffle, and dry tannins, along with dark cherry, blueberry, coffee and chocolate notes – a wine to sip, savor and contemplate that will, of course, become more refined with age.  Around $40. Imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, California. (Received as a press sample.)