Mon Tout Cherry Picking Grenache 2025

The fruit for this wine comes from the Swan Valley. Being a warmer region, it arrives at Howard Park, on average, three weeks before anything else, giving winemaker Nic Bowen and the team time to pull it apart and work on it before vintage truly kicks off. Red Skins, raspberry liquorice and sage. The fruit is hand-picked and heavily sorted to access only the best berries. As with everything in the Mon Tout range, it is wild fermented, unfined and unfiltered. Technically, it is fermented in stainless steel, but with some imaginative and whimsical thinking, concrete is placed inside the vessel to add complexity. LOL. One parcel also undergoes carbonic maceration, creating a slightly candied Red Skin character, while the tannins are charged and chalky. Another interesting detail is that the fruit comes from a 70-year-old vineyard that has naturally progressed into bush vines over time. I would serve it lightly chilled and take it to the wine club, alongside this tasting note.

Cyndal Petty

Wine Critic at Winepilot

A hopeless romantic for wine and food, Cyndal is nearing 15 years in hospitality while still (just) under 30. A Chef-turned-Sommelier and award-winning wine professional, Cyndal recently left a Group Sommelier role where she curated seven wine lists across multiple venues and led the wine team to Gourmet Traveller Wine Bar of the Year—just months after opening. Now freelance, Cyndal is a wine consultant, event host, wine judge, and wine writer. Passionate about sharing wine’s story with the world, she brings a fresh voice and creative solutions to the industry. After studying and traveling through most of her 20s, she’s now based in WA’s southwest, proudly embracing her role as a WA coastal cowgirl.

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