Who Drinks Merlot Anymore?

Merlot... "I'm not drinking any f*!*^% Merlot"so says Miles (or something close to that). Now, that statement would imply that all merlot is tasteless, bland, insipid plonk. Here's some news for you... Miles is right - mostly. I tried a Merlot yesterday afternoon that was green, chocolatey, acidic, dirty, and very fitting - a slight bit corked. It was an Italian from Friuli-Venezia-Guilia. Really nasty stuff. No one likes green peppers or stemminess in their wine! how is it that so much Merlot is garbage that people won't pay $5 for, yet two of the most sought-after (hence, expensive) wines in the world are Merlot! Petrus and Le Pin are MERLOT. Cheval Blanc has a good bit. Pride, Pahlmeyer, and Duckhorn turn out excellent Merlots year in and year out. I hear all the time "I don't want Merlot". Well I, for the most part, don't either. But give me a '78 Petrus or '88 Le Pin and I'm in heaven. Why? Because they're seductive. Because they're sexy wines. Because they simply can be amazing. So why do we put up with crappy Merlot? I, for one, am not. I have exactly 10 bottles of Merlot in my cellar - all of it what I consider "very good" Merlot. It's expensive, sure, but I'd rather spend $50 on a great bottle of Merlot than $35 on a mediocre one. So, go out and find yourself a great Merlot. The grape isn't going away despite all of the negative publicity. So, tell the winemakers how you like your Merlot! Vote with your wallet!