We started the evening sampling the
Dominari Napa Valley Merlot.
http://www.dominari.com/wines.html I have to say this was a truly awful wine. My friends commented on the overwhelming vanilla oakiness. Strangely, this did not bother ME as I could not get past the searing alcohol (nominally 15.5% abv on the label) and the super-ripe, porty nose and massive fruit. I hope the substance does not kill the plants I poured it on. That, or maybe we will return tonight to see something out of
Little Shop of Horrors 
Feed Me! 60 points. Avoid!
Anyway, the 2003 Kendall/Jackson Highlands Estates Trace Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon was a decent California Cab, leaning more towards the leaner red fruit side of the spectrum. Plenty of herbacioussness...Some heat on the nose, although that may be the remnants from the Dominari????
I am beginning to wonder if herbaceousness is characteristic of Knights Valley (Trace Ridge is above that valley). With air, the anise and other darker fruits became appearing. A fine quaffer. Not great, but decent. 86 points.
...(Humans) are unique in our capacity to construct realities at utter odds with reality. Dogs dream and dolphins imagine, but only humans are deluded. –Jacob Bacharach
