Summer is here and sweltering heat is encompassing most of the country. Not here though, the summer is mild and pleasant with highs in the low seventies. Perfect weather for dinner on the patio. I wish we had a patio table so we could have dinner on the patio, but for now I only get to surmise what dinner on the patio would be like.

There would be a slight breeze just enough to keep the air from being stagnant. There would be no bugs, flies, bees or mosquitoes. Even though the sun is out, the table would be in the shade of the tall cedar trees. There would be the smell of honeysuckle in the air, mixing with the aroma of grilled meat. The steaks on the grill would be cooked to perfection and the wine, a bottle of Opus One Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 1998 served at cellar temperature of 65° would be served in oversized wine glasses. The steaks would complement the wine, not the other way around.

A nice dream, but in reality, there is no patio table and no bottle of Opus One. (We drank that bottle with best friends and a frozen pizza, very classy). The steaks were cooked to perfection along with grilled vegetables, but dinner was served inside and the wine was a Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast, California. The wine, BearBoat vintage 2008 had an alcohol content of 13.8% and cost under $15.

The wine was a strawberry red color in the glass. There was strawberries and alcohol on the nose when I stuck my nose in the glass. The first taste had a slight taste of strawberries and vanilla. The wine was dry with a slight bite at the end. It didn’t have big fruit taste of some other Pinot Noirs I’ve had. It was okay, but not something I would buy again. In all, it was a bit of a letdown to drink with a good steak. I should have gone with something else.