Vouvray is the most well-known region for producing Chenin Blanc, an incredibly versatile grape variety that can reach hauntingly ethereal levels of complexity, but you might find a better value the across river in Montlouis sur Loire.  My favorite producer here is Francois Chidaine, and we recently had a bottle of his Clos Haberl 2007.

I am not one to usually get too excited about color (I treat it more as an indication of age and condition than quality), but this wine did have a very saturated golden yellow hue that could not be ignored for such a young wine.  Right now it is displaying the classic scent of minerality - the sea breeze, wet sand, and saline notes you might experience at the beach or after a rain shower.  The nose is also balanced by citrus, peach, floral and a touch of herbal notes.

On the palate, it displays nice, balanced acidity that is not screaming but still quite formidable.  It has a nice medium body with complex notes of citrus, honeysuckle and apricot.  Some might consider this off-dry, but for a Chenin Blanc I would call it dry (sec).  Youthful and vibrant, I think it is drinking decently now, but would be exponentially better with some age.

Towards that end, we let it sit in the fridge and drank it over the next couple days to see how it would evolve over time and were not disappointed.  The nose showed very nice development, maturing and revealing more of its seductress self.  There was more ripe fruit up front - juicy peach and golden apple, with even hints of hay and grass.  The finish is long and enjoyable, akin to the golden glow of a Hudson River School painting depicting magic hour over a lush landscape.