Many make the case that Loire Chenin Blanc is a benchmark for diversity. The entire range is covered in the central Loire: Bone-dry, sparkling, off-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet. Clos Rougeard's Brézé is the most famous name in this club, but beyond that, one name especially embodies the detail and clarity that top dry Chenin is capable of.

Jacky Blot's domaine, La Taille Aux Loups, primarily works with vineyards in Montlouis. However, Clos de la Bretonniere is his coveted parcel of 65-plus-year-old vines in Vouvray planted on pure limestone. Blot's Montlouis wines can show density and breadth, but this particular wine has mesmerizing detail and a shimmering range of flavors that dance on the palate.

Vouvray is most associated with off-dry and sweet styles of wine, but Blot has focused on bone-dry wines since 1993. He's no nonsense when it comes to farming, with organic and hands-on viticulture serving as the root of success for all his wines. Much like the disciplined Chenin found in Saumur, battonage is avoided and malolactic fermentation is blocked—a necessity in accentuating the laser-focus and sleek frame that draws comparisons to Burgundy.

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