Everybody hates Merlot

IF the wine world has a whipping boy these days, it's Merlot — even Hollywood got its licks in when Miles Raymond lashed it in "Sideways." It's been cast aside for the "it" wine of the moment, Pinot Noir; no one would be caught dead drinking, or even liking, Merlot.

Now, it's true that there's a whole lot of bad Merlot in the world, much of it from California, but some of the greatest wines in the world are made with this noble grape — including Cheval Blanc, the prized possession Miles finally chugs from Styrofoam.

Ok...so maybe things aren't so bad for Merlot, as the article goes on to list out many places where the wine is being made extremely well. What's one of those places? Washington State.