Reviews
Muscat blanc à petits grains fermented cold and slow, stretching over 30 days, then kept in tank on lees for seven weeks, bottled bright and fresh. Picked early for vivid acidity and linearity, this has flavour depth without the overt exoticism the variety can yield. The tropic white florals are there, but there’s a charming grapefruit bitter-sour character, both in flavour and palate tension, giving it an overwhelmingly refreshing quality – like a gin and tonic, garnished with cucumber. It’s saline, mineral of feel and quite delicious.
I urge you to taste this wine knowing nothing about it. Go down the rabbit hole of pine lime splice, pineapple chunks, lemonade icy poles and coconut-scented suntan lotion. Find the sparks of sea succulents and oyster brine. Come full circle to a cascade of fine acidity and a dry but fruity finish. The slight salinity interplays well with the memorable fragrance. It’s a bloody good time, is what it is. Drink now.
Reviews of 2023 Petit Blanc:
91 Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion, February 2024:
Muscat à petits grains at the home Sand Road Vineyard was grafted 40 years ago. It was arguably not the most astute move, with muscat in demand neither as fruit nor in bottle. No matter, the suitability to a warm climate fits the house ethos, and the results are more than agreeable. Lightweight but flavourful, with orange blossom, lemon zest, coriander seed, yellow grapefruit and hints of frangipani and magnolia, the palate zesty and mildly pithy, saline with an engaging tonic and lemon barley water note, both in flavour and sharp tang..
92 points, Winepilot, August 2023: https://winepilot.com/story/hither-yon/:
The beautifully named Muscat blanc à petits grains is the basis of the Petit Blanc, and I believe it’s the first time I’ve ever had this grape in a dry form (it’s regularly seen in the sweet French wines Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise and Muscat de Rivesaltes). Despite its tendency to make “grapey” wines, I found this to be much more aromatic than expected, with distinct orange blossom, lemon and wax characters, and delightful lychee and spice notes that developed with some air. The palate is very zippy, salty and silky, with a slight sourness, and it pairs nicely with cheese (provided it’s not too bitter), heightening the aromatics.
Reviews of 2022 Petit Blanc:
93 points, The Wine Front 2022, Mike Bennie:
Much drier, saltier and crunchy that the decent 2021, this feels a lot more Mediterranean in feel and style. It’s a muscat blanc, made dry, of course, and picked earlier and made to dry. Planted 1980s. It shows the variety calling cards of frangipani and general perfume but with sea spray, alpine herb and tonic water scents. Flavours echo this, it’s tingly, mouth-watering and super fresh with soaring drinkability. Citrusy fresh, briny, long and cool. Takes me to Sicily/Sardinia in a way. So delicious here.
Reviews of 2021 Petit Blanc:
91 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin:
While it is not on the label, this is straight up muscat à petits grains. Light-weight, beautifully aromatic and palpably dry, this is the sort of wine served as an apero while staring at the Mediterranean, from the Languedoc to the Côte d'Azur. Honey blossom, jasmine, musk, grape spice, dill and a rub of citrus unwind across a talcy palate. Delicious drinking.
90 points, James Suckling 2021, Nick Stock:
Aromas of cut grass, lemon juice and peel and fresh-picked sage make a fresh impression on the nose, as well as lychee and honey. The palate has a smooth, softly fleshy feel with pear pastry. Fresh finish.
Reviews of 2020 Petit Blanc:
91 points, Mike Bennie, Winefront:
What a fun thing from H&Y. And good thing. Cucumber, lemon squash, green herbs. Good scents. Lots of juicy, bouncy fun in the palate. More cucumber, lemon squash, Real Lemonade perhaps, some green apple. Zingy finish whips things tart and clean. Good times. Lots of personality and lots of drinkability."
91 points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin MW, :
"This is fun! Grapey and spicy. Think canned lychee, orange blossom and jasmine scents, all careening along talcy rails of chew and acid freshness. The finish is dry and has plenty of pucker. Drink with gusto."
Reviews of 2019 Petit Blanc:
Adelaide Review 2020, Hot 100 Wines, Light Aromatic Wines:
An intriguing wine with a light aromatic lift, initial savoury aromas are followed by n, orange, and nashi pear. This wine is deliciously weighted with a pleasing phenolic grip and lovely acid.
Reviews of 2018 Petit Blanc:
90 points, James Halliday 2020 Wine Companion:
Citrus and tropical fruit flavours are attractive enough, but the slippery-satiny nature of the texture here makes this pretty white wine enjoyable to say the least.
Reviews of 2017 Petit Blanc:
88 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, September 2017:
Made from Muscat Blanc a’ Petits Grains. I don’t recommend most white wines be served too chilled, but I think this style is best served with a bit of frost on it. Perfumed and musky, kind of light and briny too, with delicate flavour, mainly lemon and lemon barley. It’s got zip and freshness, a bit of fragrance, and it’s VERY easy to smash down with gay abandon. A wonderful wine for summer luncheons, and the like, preferably featuring a sea breeze. I like it, but it is what it is, and that, in this case, is a good thing. The simple things etc.
89 points, Huon Hooke, November 2017:
Pale almost water-white colour and a pungent muscat fruit aroma, which is clean as a whistle and appropriately fragrant. Passionfruit traces. The wine is surprisingly dry in the mouth, like a French muscat blanc sec. As such, it would make a good aperitif wine. A very good, if simple, varietal dry white.
88 points, James Halliday, 1 August 2018:
The fact that its grape variety (muscat blanc à petit grains) might cause people to expect an off-dry wine is neither here nor there, hither or yon. It's fresh, delicate, crisp, dry and faintly lemony.