Pearce Family Wines

Press Reviews

Wine Align

90 points - Michael Godel

The latest in wine merchant Nicholas Pearce's negoce project (that counts 10 wines in three countries I believe) is this Columbia Valley cabernet sauvignon. Rue Naujac is the street Pearce lived on while studying and working in France and Bordeaux is the country's 33rd department. The reference "33" is slang for Bordeaux, a wink-wink, nudge-nudge laugh for those who know him. A blend of two different vineyards, one in Wahluke Slope AVA & the other in Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Deep, dark, unctuous, flowing with Cassis and no shortage of graphite notes neither. Good spirit and quite correct, better and more honest than most at the west coast price. Drink 2020-2024. Tasted July 2020.

90 points - David Lawrason

This is a quite tasty and delicious cabernet if veering into sweet territory. It is quite full bodied, smooth and dense, and balanced in that sense. The nose is very ripe with blackcurrant jam, spice and generous oak spice. It is full bodied, with some cabernet earthiness and dried herbs. Very good to excellent length. Tasted August 2020.

90 points - John Szabo, MS

A creation of Ontario importer Nicholas Pearce in partnership with a French winemaker with 30 years experience in Washington, Rue Naujac is the street Pearce lived on while studying/working in France, and Bordeaux is the country's 33rd department, both of which gave the inspiration for the name and lot # of this wine. It's made of pure Cabernet Sauvignon, 64% of which is from the coveted Wahluke Slope AVA, and 36% Horse Heaven Hills AVA, with 15% new oak used for maturation. It's crafted in a typically forward, plush and dark fruit flavoured Washington style, immediately engaging and appealing, with a vague sensation of sweetness on the palate to broaden appeal. Tannins are thick and velvety, while mocha-chocolate flavours fold into the fruit. Both sophisticated and approachable, a winning style all around, well priced. Tasted July 2020.

Press Reviews

Wine Align

90 points - Michael Godel

One of Ontario’s best selling Western Cape chenin blanc’s is this perennial stalwart from local négoce heroes Will Predhomme and Nicholas Pearce. Together with Alex Dale and Jacques de Klerk at Radford Dale they blend and mix parcels, tanks and barrels of chenin to concoct this imminently drinkable blanc. This is the aromatic one but also to date the most amenable of them all. The energy in acids are lowered while the drinkability factor raises the bar. Accessible to all now, even if that had previously not been the case. Drink 2020-2023. Tasted May 2020.

90 points - John Szabo, MS

2019 is a stellar vintage for the Pearce-Predhomme old vine chenin made by Radford Dale, always a terrific value and even more so here. There's an uncommon freshness and liveliness for South Africa/Stellenbosch, with fruit spanning the white-fleshed and citrus spectrum, and acids that drive additional sips. But neither is it just simple white wine; there's genuine depth and concentration on offer. Complexity should build with a year or two in the cellar, though it's hard to resist now to be sure. Top notch value. Tasted May 2020. 

Press Reviews

Wine Align

91 points - Michael Godel

Having been a part of the tasting group that blended this vintage of the Pearce Predhomme Koffieklip cinsault/syrah I can confidently say that the experience shone revelatory light on the excellence of the vintage. The idea was to find the sweet spot between clarity and alacrity, a vanishing away from volatile point of perspective that is so very precise. That we did and this is the result, settled into its natural, wild fermentative and highly parochial skin. Two and half years later it is drinking as it should, firm and juicy, spirited, funky and knowingly perched at the aforementioned high-toned threshold. Resets at the edge of so many things, including restlessness and a reset of what grapes, winemaker (Jacques de Klerk) and place can conspire to want, wish and desire to be. Drink 2021-2024. Tasted January 2021.

90 points - David Lawrason

If you are fan of South African reds you will love this; if not you will be a step closer. It's a lively, engaging if idiosyncratic wine offering complexity, diversity and sheer drinkability. The nose is nicely lifted with a melange of wild blueberry, pomegranate fruit plus some meatiness, all kinds of herbality and Cape tar. It is medium bodied (only 12.5%) alcohol with crunchy acidity, a hint of sourness, fine soft tannin. Excellent length. Edgy but it works. Chill lightly. Tasted January 2021

Press Reviews

Wine Align

90 points - Michael Godel

3XP is the triumvirate styling of Tawse winemaker Paul Pender, Ontario wine importer Nicholas Pearce and Sommelier Will Predhomme. It's the latest song release in the epic Pearce-Predhomme négoce journey, a progressive-art-album rock venture replete with eleven-minute opus material, but this one is the hit with a recognizable and catchy hook. It's Hungry Heart, I Will Get by and Lucky Man wrapped up into one three-minute chardonnay play. The sip-swirl-swallow trilogy is like verse-chorus-verse and repeat. It's straightforward sharp, tart and flavourful chardonnay that only Paul Pender could make and it's consume-ability factor is one of threefold manifest destiny. The number three is a very important number in biblical and mythological study. It "is the first number to which the meaning "all" was given. It is The Triad, being the number of the whole as it contains the beginning, a middle and an end. The power of three is universal and is the tripartide nature of the world as heaven, earth, and waters. It is human as body, soul and spirit." As for this PPP chardonnay, just drink it up and enjoy. For the next three years. Drink 2018-2020. Tasted July 2018.