October is international merlot month. Think about that for a moment. Merlot is the wine everyone loves to loathe. So it gets an entire month to call its own? Something must be wrong with this picture.

Everyone from vintners to consumers has been dismissing merlot for as far back memory serves. During the emergence of California wine in the 1960s and 1970s, merlot always played second fiddle to King Cabernet, though it often found itself playing a crucial supporting role in cabernet sauvignon-dominant blends.

"Why should I drink the blending grape when I can drink the blend," a devout wine enthusiast once told me when I asked about his aversion to merlot. It was the prevailing wisdom of the era, and perception surely is reality.

Then along came a clever marketing meme that merlot was "softer" than King Cab, and thus more appealing to women. Grape growers were encouraged to plant more merlot, and they did, quite often in the wrong places. That precipitated a wave of very mediocre merlot that seemed to support the conventional wisdom surrounding it.

The winemaker Chuck Ortman, who founded Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles, California, loved merlot, especially his merlot. I've forgotten how many times Ortman proudly poured his merlot for me side-by-side with King Cab, noting that the merlot was "bigger." His word. Ortman was sailing a rickety wooden boat into a hurricane, but he persevered.

There were others. Duckhorn Vineyards built an iconic brand around merlot. Chappellet Vineyards has a long history of exceptional merlot. Ed Sbragia, while he was winemaker at Beringer Vineyards, crafted perhaps California's finest merlot from the Bancroft Ranch vineyard atop Howell Mountain.

All three wineries, located in the Napa Valley of California, swam against the powerful current generated by King Cab.

The renowned winemaker Cathy Corison once told me: "I've never believed merlot was a good fit for the Napa Valley. It's quite good in some years, but in other years it isn't."

The greatest indignity, however, was delivered by the hit movie "Sideways," which was seen by millions. At the same time "Sideways" elevated pinot noir and sent sales soaring off the charts it dissed merlot in such a way that it became a hard sell even to diehard red-wine drinkers.

Or did it? It's quite possible the reality is quite different than the perception.

The "MerlotMe" movement, which is behind the international merlot month campaign, begs to differ. As evidence, it cites the following statistics:

—In a 2015 Sonoma State University study of 1,000 wine consumers, merlot is the No. 1 choice of red wine.

—In 2015 and 2016 studies by Wine Intelligence, merlot was the most chosen red wine among more than 3,800 consumers.

—Merlot priced above $20 is up 6 percent in sales over the past 52 weeks.

—Merlot is one of the three most important red wines in restaurants, along with cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir.

—Merlot is approximately 10 percent of all fine-dining restaurant placements.

Those are fairly impressive stats suggesting that merlot is in fact more popular than we thought, and that the trend is upward.

Truth be told, merlot has always enjoyed a prominent role in fine-wine circles. To think otherwise was willful ignorance.

It is not only a blending grape used in many fabled wines from the Left Bank of Bordeaux, France, but it is also the money grape of the Right Bank. Cabernet sauvignon is a lost cause for the Right Bank because it doesn't get ripe enough in most vintages to make fine wine. Thus merlot and, to a lesser extent, cabernet franc are the principal grapes of Saint-Emilion.

The other important district on the Right Bank, Pomerol, is entirely dependent upon merlot. When one considers that the world's most sought after and, not coincidentally, the world's most expensive wine is the celebrated Chateau Petrus, a Pomerol, the significance of merlot in the world of fine wine becomes clear.

To think otherwise is simply merlot madness.

Tasting Notes

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value, and the scores are simply a measure of this reviewer's enthusiasm for the recommended wine.

Lamole di Lamole 2011 "Vigneto di Campolungo" Gran Selezione, Chianti Classico, Italy ($45) — A wine like this bears almost no familial relationship to Chianti made in the 1950s and 1960s. With the exception of Ruffino, few producers had the know-how or patience to produce Chianti with the weight and depth required for the long haul. This Vigneto di Campolungo dances to the beat of a different drum, showing richness and length, beautiful black cherry and dark-fruit aromas, a touch of balsamic and a hint of wood spice. It is long in the mouth with an intense, persistent finish — a stunning wine. Rating: 96.

Trione 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, River Road Ranch, Russian River Valley ($23) — This vintage of Trione's sauvignon from River Road Ranch is all about balance — beautiful balance that allows the fruit to shine. With notes of melon, lemongrass and stone fruit it delivers a complexity of flavor that is subtle and inviting, with no single element overshadowing the other. This is an excellent food wine. Serve it with salads, grilled fish or sushi. But it's also terrific to sip and savor. Rating: 94.

Catena 2013 Malbec "High Mountain Vines," Mendoza, Argentina ($24) — Catena malbec has long been a benchmark for other Argentine wine producers, and there is a solid reason for that. The Catena wines, the malbec in particular, exhibit character and finesse across a broad spectrum of offerings. This particular malbec shows notes of anise, dried herbs and black pepper as well as fleshy dark fruits. There's enough grip on the finish to suggest it just might continue to evolve and improve with additional cellar time. Rating: 91.

Follow Robert on Twitter at @wineguru. To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.