CH�TEAU DE FLAUGERGUES Coteaux du Languedoc La M�janelle Cuv�e Sommeli�re 2000 (92 points, $13)

Full-bore, decadent red, with dark plum and blackberry flavors. Bacon fat notes mixed in. Rich, deep and lush, with dark chocolate and espresso notes on the finish. Powerful. Drink now through 2005. 6,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator's editors have selected this wine as the best buy of the week.

Bacon fat notes?� eeeeeewwwwwww.� If it just said "bacon notes", that would be bad.� But a wine that tastes like bacon drippings?� That is just foul.

Well, I plaid Scrabble with a 90 year-old shut-in last night.� It pretty much affirmed what I already knew: that deep down inside, I am an awful person (see?� those Catholic self-loathing classes are working).

This lady has not been outdoors in three months.� She stayed at home on Christmas.� Her husband has been dead for 23 years.� Her family lives in either Florida or the UP.� She had cancer and has congestive heart failure.� She did not have the strength to open her windows for fresh air.� The only comfort in her life is the nun who comes to give her communion every Wednesday.� She lives for the infrequent opportunity to play Scrabble.� And I tried to beat her.

Leo also enjoys playing Scrabble.� It wasn't too long ago when he lit a bunch of candles in the family room, poured some wine, and laid out the old Scrabble board for a "romantic evening" (jealous, ladies?).� Unfortunately for me, he always wins.� Long ago I came to terms with giving up the part of my identity that I labeled "smart".�� In my current group of friends and relations, I consider myself to fulfill the "cheery buffoon" role.� I'm ok with that.� Really.�� But I got a little carried away last night when I saw my opportunity to reclaim the role that I lost long ago.

It was clear that this lady was a serious Scrabble player from the start.� Also in the game was my sponsor who hadn't played Scrabble in a really long time.� We had pretty much decided before we went that the only polite thing to do was let her win.� She took the lead from the start.� And then I drew both an X and a Z.� My turn came after my sponsor's; she kept setting up these great moves for me.� The best was when she laid down a word (totaling only 10 points) that gave me the opportunity for both a double letter and a triple word score.�

I placed the Z on the double letter and followed it with an I connecting to the existing T.� I then placed a blank on the triple word score and declared it to spell "ZITS".� Offensive perhaps, but it is definitely a word.� 66 points.� Take that, home bound old lady!� In your face!� I doubled my score in one turn.� I followed up on the next turn with "AXE" where the X was on a triple letter square.� WHO IS THE SCRABBLE QUEEN NOW???

It was at this point when I realized that I was winning by about 70 points.� And this lady's only non-communion interaction with humanity for a solid week would be being beaten soundly at her favorite game by a total stranger.� So I started losing.� My lead was so great that I had to seriously pull back.� I earned only 5 points on the next round.� I continued this strategy, trying to earn less than 10 points on each turn.� I drew the Q at that point.� The Q has big points possibilities, of course.� But I decided to sit on it.� That way 10 points would be deducted from my score at the end.� That is how the old lady ended up winning by 4 points.

Leo and I have decided that we will go back and play Scrabble with her again.� Luckily, there will be no possibility of me winning next time and Leo will have to deal with the ethical issues of beating a sick old lady at her own game.� Thank Goodness!

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