Review: Traversa, Sauvignon Blanc

Wine makers and wine connoisseurs often talk about terroir. This is the idea that the place grapes are grown influences the characteristics of wine produced from those grapes. Many factors go into terroir, like daytime and nighttime temperatures, soil composition, rainfall, sunlight, etc. Some would even argue that people are a part of terroir, which makes sense as vineyard management practices can vary from region to region.

Those who know wine really, really well can sometimes recognize the region of a wine simply by smelling and tasting the wine. Some wine professionals, like Masters of Wine, are trained on how to recognize a wine’s terroir. Needless to say, this is a not an easy feat for most of us. However, if you want to take on this challenge I’d suggest you start your journey with Sauvignon Blanc.

In my experience, Sauvignon Blanc is the most expressive grape when it comes to terroir. You can often guess what region a Sauvignon Blanc is from due to its distinct regional personalities. Those from New Zealand tend to be more grassy and vegetal, those from Chile have more tropical fruit characteristics, those from Loire Valley in France are more elegant and those from California are more bland (I’m kidding about that last one… or maybe not).

Some regions, however, are less known than others. Uruguay is one of those regions. It’s also a region that produces some world class wine, but many in the world haven’t yet discovered that fact.

Sauvignon Blanc in Uruguay

Sauvignon Blanc is the second most widely planted white grape variety in Uruguay — Ugni Blanc being the most planted. I have not yet had a lot of Sauvignon Blanc from Uruguay, but I’m going to guess that this one from Familia Traversa will reflect the terroir of the region.

The vineyards for this wine are in Montevideo, in the south of Uruguay and only 15 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. That Atlantic influence is one of the unique factors influencing the terroir here.

This wine was fermented in stainless steel, which results in a wine that more purely reflects the grape and the terroir than some other production methods might. I would describe this as an elegant Sauvignon Blanc, with restrained tropical and vegetal notes. It’s also a style of Sauvignon Blanc that features some mineral characteristics.

Tasting Notes

The nose of this wine offers gentle and pleasant aromas, like peach, yellow delicious apple, melon, lime and herbs. It’s soft and elegant on the palate, delivering flavors like peach, apple, melon and flinty minerals. The mouthfeel is smooth and slightly creamy. The acidity is vibrant but not over the top. It finishes medium-long with soft mineral and fruit flavors.

Wine: Familia Traversa, Sauvignon Blanc
Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2024
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Average price: $16.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.