Merlot'ering your Expectations

As a film studies major in the better part of my college years, I find it frustrating that our representation on the big screen is Sideways; not because I dislike the movie, I find it to be quite entertaining, but because everyone who watches it immediately becomes an expert on wine.
McCarthyism is a period of time in American history where a good deal of great artists and minds alike were blacklisted based on assumptions and fears. It is in this same light that I view Sideways with the same inherent disdain. The period after Sideways, the anti-Merlot hysteria that seized a nation, and somehow saved a varietal at the same time. 'Sidewaysism' isn't a real phrase, nor does it really catch the ear correctly, but it sums up a phenomenon that made us closely observe a grape we were sure we knew everything about.
How many times have you heard, "I'm not drinking a f---ing Merlot??" in relationship to Giamatti's tyrade as he and his compatriot pick out wine. Church, playing the perfect neophyte looks at him in all his simple glory, and asks, "What if they want a merlot". Somehow the simplicity got confused for ignorance, and Merlot became the anti-wine snob wine.
Giamatti's savoured bottle, the Cheval Blanc(I tear up just writing it, yum) is 100 percent Merlot. It is in this author's opinion that his refusal to drink wine is simply a desire to wait, to wait drink the perfect merlot. Like his pursuit of both Virginia Madsen and his ex-wife at the same time, it's the pentultimate example of viticulturally 'having your grapes and crushing them too'.
Either way, even nearly a decade later people are still avoiding merlot like a feral cat, only really picking a bottle if they hear their companion say they want to avoid 'harsh tannins'. The feverish tendency to confuse clever artistic yearnings has backfired in a big way, scraping the Merlot Grape's barrell and bursting their once lucrative bubble.
Merlot is a grape that finds it's home in Bordeaux, France. It's thought to have first been referenced by Chaucer, but we do know that it has been a staple of the Bordeaux region for well over half a Millenium. Owing it's subtle nature to a delecate balance of tight, cherry light fruit and a dusty cocoa semi-sweetness(when made correctly) this dashing, robust beauty was once a 'lady-killer' in both Napa and Sonoma. In fact, this author's first date wine was a relatively inexpensive Napa Merlot. I think it was bad, but then again, I was nearly 17 and just happy that I could be drinking wine.
Merlot has found a nice niche in Sonoma, it's relatively cool climate produces just enough 'hang time' to make a solid juice with just enough ripeness. Companies like Lambert Bridge(again, Jill Davis does wine right on the money) and Geyser Peak are making pocket-friendly, highly rated Merlot's that blow the doors off the passing trend. Dave Miner of Miner Vineyards makes rock star Napa Merlot(Gary doesn't make a bad wine, his Oracle is my $80 Blend Lady-Pleaser) for a reasonable price. Even Paso Robles is doing it in style. J Lohr has planted a similar Cuvee(french for blend, or close enough) called St. E(an homage to St. Emillion, this readers favorite area of Bordeaux for Merlot forward wines) that will burn the barn down in terms of flavor and elegance. For the best value under Flora Springs, I find that their merlot competes with their much higher priced catalogue, but still keeps the priced to everyday costs.
Moving upwards and onwards, Washington State may very well become the new home to Domestic Merlot. L'Ecole 41 has already proved that it can compete on a global stage, and their delcious merlots and cuvees are a testimate to the veritability of the climate. Novelty Hill, a wine that I cherish with the fervence of a good book or a cheesy zombie flick, put's out a $25 dollar smasher that gleams of warm cedar and crushed bing cherries.
Chile just realized they've been producing merlots that were actually its forgotten sibling the varietal Carmenere. While it's true of a lot of smaller vineyards, merlot is still performing on a wonderfully high pedestal, especially for affordable companies like Casa Lapostolle. Owned by the Marnier family(yes the delicious after dinner/cigar apertif), this vineyard really showcased the power of a good Chilean Merlot.
And yes, of course France is putting out great merlots. Christian Moeuix(Mo-Ay) makes Petrus, a bombshell of a Merlot based Bordeaux wine. I have only had it once, and believe me, it was only a decade old and tasted like an infant wine. The man who wears all the hats, Wine Worlds' Circus Conductor and a man of immense talent, Michel Roland is the consulting oenologist at Chateau Ausone, a wine that makes 50 percent of their blend with St. Emillion merlot. The result is a bottle that will age until the Detroit Lions win a SuperBowl(just kidding, we don't have that long).
I guess my point is, what on earth are you waiting for? Go drink a merlot. It's not a matter of finding out if you like the varietal, it's more of a matter of finding out which one you like. I cannot tell you how much you will enjoy the sexy, roundness of a good glass when you finally find one. Until then, please avoid drinking Cheval from 'to-go' cups at fast food joints, that too is just the stuff of Hollywood.
Cameron