Long ago I joined the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) crowd – not because I don’t like Chardonnay, but because I was sick of Chardonnay. Everywhere you went everybody brought a Chardonnay and there was no imagination to what people would bring. It also seemed that it was all the same kind of Chardonnay, same style, same flavours … after awhile it just got to be too much. These days, I hate to say, I shun most Chardonnay in favour of more interesting whites like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Vidal, Gewurztraminer, etc. … but Flat Rock said “ours are different” – and they seemed so genuine about it that I had to try them. Well let me tell you, they are. Many of you read my review of the Rusty Shed Chardonnay ($29.95), one of the first Chardonnays I have truly enjoyed in a long time… now I direct your attention to the more reasonably priced ($16.95) and truly tasty 2004 Chardonnay. What I like about it, is what it lacks … butter, the abundance of butteriness in fact. The nose shows hearty asparagus, mild celery, hints of dandelion, a little oak and a waft of margarine and oregano. The taste is different too – gone is the margarine, but the asparagus and celery are there, along with some lettuce – this is like a garden salad in a glass … and the more I drank the more I liked it, but then, shouldn’t that always be the way. If I drank Chardonnay, more often I mean, this would rank right up there with ones I would drink regularly. Unique, different, just what we ABCers are looking for.