N/V M Lawrene Sex Batch #79

So many cheap jokes with this wine, I'm just going to leave it be.

Watermelon Jolly Rancher on the nose.

Peach, strawberry, watermelon, a touch of sugar, but balanced.

Almost a toasty quality, like ever so lightly toasted white bread with a bit more of that watermelon candy thing on the finish.

At $15 a bottle, I have no objections.

Score: 87

N/V M Lawrence Green

This is a new, limited offering from M Lawrence - it's called Green because the bottles are reused (actually reused/washed/sanitized - not recycled) and because it's their spin on vinho verde....the grape is cayuga, which is a green grape as well. How green! Retail is fifteen bones.

A clean nose, kinda grapey...

Light overall - apples, grapes, loads of acid, quite dry overall to my palate.

Some lime, lemon, and slate lingers on the finish along with a green apple candy thing way on the back.

It's a solid wine, but it's certainly in a distinct style. Great for the remaing summer heat - light, crisp, dangerously drinkable, and well priced, no complaints!

Score: 86

2006 L Mawby Sandpainting

This is a special release from L Mawby, I don't think it's necessarily an exclusive to their wine club but at only 500 bottles or so it's certainly one of their more limited releases.

Caramel on the nose - an interesting thing I sometimes read about but never actually get. It's not necessarily sweet smelling, but it's distinctly caramel. Beyond that a bit of pear.

Caramel apple on the finish, straight up red apple dipped in caramel sans peanuts...very interesting. A bit of limeade thrown in, but overall a rich, complex mouthfeel.

A second big fat burst of that caramel dipped red apple on the finish with some peach skins, and a bit of grapefruit linger for some time on the finish.

This I like...a lot. The "Sandpainting" line is going to be limited release offerings and this first one is a great start.

Score: 92

N/V L Mawby Blanc de Noir Cuvee 168

We've had this one several times and really enjoyed it, but something about this particular bottle grabbed my attention, so I'm revisiting it here. This retails for $19.

A bit of red apple and a bit of bright red raspberry on the nose.

A lot of berries - blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry, everything but the elusive Boo Berry really. Red apple as well, and a bit of red pear. "Red fruit" is what some would say. Dry, a bit toasty, a bit nutty,

A nutty finish - walnuts, pecans...I don't like nuts, so I can't rattle off what this may taste like, though I do find it enjoyable. Nuts and a bit of rye toast, perhaps with some blueberry jam. I'm also getting a black tea component...a slice of rye toast, a glass of tea, and a pecan or two on the side...this wine would pair well with breakfast.

I'm not sure how different cuvees are - it could all be in my head and something could be hitting me different this bottle around.. That said, this is, genuinely, outstanding. We have hit up a bunch of $30-50 Champagnes in recent weeks - and this wine was reviewed blind, so for all I knew it was yet another one. If you're willing to drop twenty bucks on a sparkling wine, from anywhere, this gets my top recommendation. If you see it, buy it.

Score: 93

N/V M Lawrence Fizz Batch #25

Fizz - one of the M Lawrence line that we haven't enjoyed a bottle of, so I'm stoked to try this as part of the Tweet and Taste. Retail on this is $13.

The nose on this reminds me startlingly - and this was mentioned in the Tweet and Taste but it is so right on I have to say it - dried banana or banana chips, absolutely all the way. Very mild and elegant in its own way.

Reminds me a bit of the M Lawrence label Detroit in some ways, not too shocking seeing as both are unashamedly Demi Sec. White peach in a candied sorta way - something fairly common in many of these M Lawrence wines, but while it's sweet, it had a very light mouthfeel.

While the finish is peachy, some interesting things really start coming through - pear, apricot, red apple, honeydew, even lychee and as it all fades away, a bit of that subtle banana chip thing.

I wasn't sure about this wine on first sip, but it's pretty interesting how complex the finish is while the palate, still tasty mind you, is a tad more one dimensional. As a result, I recommend this wine for (rather than with) dessert.

This wine was consumed and reviewed as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan Wine on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. This was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped - all effort has been made to be as objective and honest as possible.

Score: 89

N/V M Lawrence US Batch #21

This bottle goes for $13 - we dig L Mawby so when the opportunity to participate in the Tweet and Taste popped up, I jumped on it.

A rather clean nose - white peaches and some artificial peach as well...take a piece of a white peach and shove a peach Jolly Rancher inside and take a bite while avoiding breaking a tooth and you have something kinda like this.

Peaches, oranges, grapefruits...though, none real, all in an artificial candy sort of way, yet not terribly sweet. Interesting.

A candied orange peel kinda thing on the finish.

I was a big fan of batch 2 of this wine, but here we are at batch 21 and I'm not quite so sure....for a $13 sparkler it's worth your while.

This wine was consumed and reviewed as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan Wine on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. This was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped - all effort has been made to be as objective and honest as possible.

Score: 86

N/V L Mawby Cremant Classic Cuvee 142

This $22 bottle is available through the winery. It is 100% Vignoles - an unusual 'hybrid' grape that you often find in less common wine regions - Missouri and Illinois make plenty, but it's also found in Michigan, and New York.

Just a bit of pink apple on the nose.

Pink and golden apples dominate. A bit of sugar, but tons of acid give it a nice crisp balance. As the wine warms a bit - and I recommend you give this a good hour out of the fridge before drinking - some interesting things happen. Blueberry and caraway qualities start to come out among other oddball things.

A bit of candied apple - maybe it's because of a recent comment on this site but I'll be damned if I don't get some orange Starburst lingering.

I recall drinking this in the tasting room and it pissing me off because it was so elusive. That's about right, I'm hesitant to score this without another bottle handy, but after trying it again I'm sure I'll feel the same. This wine is like The Stooges Fun House - it's good, but it can be frustrating. I am a fan.

Score: 90+

N/V M Lawrence Detroit

This review very well may be a world premiere. This wine is not out yet - it will be released in the coming weeks but was made available as part of L Mawby's February mailing list shipment. It's part of the M Lawrence line and while I don't have my tasting sheet handy to be sure, the retail is something like $13. This was tasted blind, so do what you will.

Peach, kind of a peach Jolly Rancher sort of thing that I find most enjoyable.

More of that peach Jolly Rancher. Apricot comes through, nectarine, maybe some tangerine, but mostly stone fruit with a bit of spice - I'm not sure what is in this but if you're into Muscats with fizz, this will, be right up your alley. Sweet enough that I'd prefer to drink this as a dessert wine, but I am less tolerant of sugar than many. That being said, it's probably not sweet enough to be considered over the top - I can absolutely see this working for many people with a picnic or maybe spicy food. Sweet though it may be, I get some very nice acidic backbone, a very nice, almost lemony, tartness. For me, this would go perfect with some sort of fruit tart, fruit soup, sorbet, pie, or (non-chocolate) cake. On a hot summer day this would absolutely hit the spot.

The finish brings more of the same - peach candy with a bit of spice and acid.

A tremendous bargain. We'll be hitting the Traverse City area in a few months and at this point I don't even want to visit L Mawby because they'll eat up our entire budget.

Score: 90

N/V M Lawrence Sandpiper Batch #21

I just got my shipment in from L Mawby - the decision was difficult, do I put them all away and grab a beer, or since they're fairly cool already, pop one open? Sparkling wine always wins.

Strawberry - as in strawberry seeds - on the nose. Spicy nectarine notes as well, I don't know if anyone makes nectarine pie, but if they did, this is what the fill would smell like basically.

Crisp and dryer than I remember previous bottles being - tart cherry with a bit of spice - it's got that white cherry thing going on, I'm not sure if white cherries exist in nature, but they do in Slurpee form, and that - though in a peculiarly un-artificial sort of way - is what this reminds me of. Tart pink apples, pink grapefruit, what else is pink? Let's not go there.

The finish lingers for quite a while, with a very dry pear kind of quality - nice stuff.

This $10 Michigan sparkler annihilates - if you tell me a better sparkling wine at this pricepoint exists anywhere, I won't believe you. Outstanding.

Score: 89+* (not blind)

N/V L Mawby Jadore

This $19 bottle is a blend of Vignoles, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay.

This may sound odd but to me this smells like pear, vanilla, and cooked, but unseasoned, chicken.

Tropical fruit all around. Papaya, mango, pineapple, even some mild coconut with a dash of lavender with golden apple, and some pie crust. I'm also getting a slight hint of pear and cinnamon all with some orange juice that's perhaps sat around just a few days too long.

More of those tropical fruit notes on the finish with the coconut really coming through.

For $19 this is a fairly reasonable bottle - the sweetness, to me, is enough to make it more of a dessert thing but I could absolutely see this working with Thai or Indian food.

Score: 88

N/V L Mawby Conservancy

For each bottle sold of this, L Mawby donates $2 to the Farmland Preservation Fund of the Leelanau Conservancy – suck it Fat Bastard and your quarter! Retail on this goes for $22, it's Extra Dry, and a blend of this and that.

A mellow nose with mostly pear.

Apples – red and/or pink apples, to be exact. Basically all apples honestly, so it is fairly simple, but I'll be damned if it isn't tasty. A touch sweet - perhaps sweeter than you'd expect from even an Extra Dry - but enough acid to balance it out. An almost mellow wine - the sort of bottle I refer to as dangerous as it's no doubt very easy to drink a lot of this.

More red apple and a bit of pear comes through on the finish.

Simple? Perhaps. Delicious? No question. Perfect for the summer heat (or after cranking your thermostat to 80)....I'll be buying again for Ravinia, thank you very much.


Score - 89

2002 Mille by L Mawby

This is L Mawby's only vintage sparkler available at the moment because they're only made in exceptional years. This goes for $50, which makes it one of the pricier bottles from the state.

There's an orange liqueur quality on the nose, along with some notes of that raw biscuit dough you get from the refrigerated section at your local grocer.

Orange marmalade is the main thing I get here. There's also a bit of yeast and creaminess, with vanilla, yeast, citron, limeade, grapefruit, white cranberry, lemon zest and just the slightest hint of caramel. The bubbles are tiny and impressively long lasting - several hours after popping, it's still going full steam.

A tremendous finish, citrus qualities - orange and tangerine - linger for over a minute.

Generally speaking when wines get around this pricepoint, the whole "value" thing is irrelevant. It's tasty, I dig it, but my socks are still on my feet - a solid 8, an excellent wine all around but nothing groin grabbing. I certainly don't feel hosed and when other 2002 bottles come out, I'm open to grabbing one.

Wine: 8
Value: Try it

L Mawby – Suttons Bay - 7/2/09

This was an obvious, must revisit - one of our favorite wineries in the country, L Mawby rocks my face. You get two free samples (Sandpiper is mandatory, I think, and the other is up to you) and then for five bones you get two addition 2oz pours with some crackers and spread.

We've reviewed a lot of L Mawby here, so do a search for more....these are what I jotted down in the room.


Talismon - Apples, light in body, though some interesting toasty notes come through.

Cremant Classic - This wine sickens me, I hate it, I can't stand it, I drink it and want to throw it out....yet I cannot put it down. Funky and weird, rye toast comes through as does some blueberry essence, with a strange gasoline component. Complex, frustrating, and not at all to my liking, yet I felt compelled to buy a case. I didn't though. I hope to never taste it again, but if I see it at a store I'll buy them out.

Sex - Strawberry and cranberry, slightly off dry, certainly tasty.

US - Fruity with bubble gum qualities even though it's not all that sweet.

Jadore - Treat this as a dessert wine and you're set - sweet with honey and apricot notes. No toast or whatever and no apologies, just layers of fruit and sugar - it works nicely.


Gil's Pier, L Mawby, Circa, and 45 North - four damn fine places all within a few miles - you can't beat it.

N/V M. Lawrence US Batch #2

This was $15 at a a local wine shop – as a fan of the winery, I snagged a bottle and commented to the manager that I was excited to see it offered.

A bit of orange on the nose, some sugar, and this may sound strange, but it just smells “thick.”

Lots of orange and spice – citrusy overall with some very tart green apple. This is one of those tough wines – it's interesting, different, very enjoyable, but a bit of an enigma.

To be honest, wines like this sort of piss me off in a good sort of way. There's much more going on in the glass - I know it, I taste it, but I can't identify it. If it's intricacies presented themselves more easily I may be compelled to rate this lower, but the fact that I can't, makes this wine intriguing and interesting an an phenomenal value at $15. If your palate is more sophisticated than mine (certainly, no large feat) then you may find it less enjoyable. L Mawby hits another one out of the ballpark.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Hell yes

N/V M Lawrence Sandpiper Batch #13

This is the one wine you are forced to try at the L Mawby winery – it's the one that the Wine Spectator gave a fairly high rating to which they're clearly proud of. Going for ten bucks it was an obvious bottle to grab.

The nose reminds me of candied pink grapefruit and as the bottle opens (do sparkling wines open?) some nice hints of peach comes through.

White grapefruit notes mostly with some very nice crisp red apple, some interesting toastiness and surprisingly long lasting bubbles.

The finish presents some interesting floral and pear notes – pear cobbler perhaps – with even more toast, and no hint of the weird metallic unpleasantness you find in many cheaper sparklers.

This can only be purchased online or at the winery and to me, it's well worth the effort. If you're in the area, this is one of the wineries I'd say qualify as a “must visit.” Great stuff.

Wine: 8
QPR: 9

N/V M Lawrence Obama Brut Batch #13

This Obama wine was $16 at the local shop and an obvious choice....not unlike the candidate himself.

A fruity nose – peachy for the most part.

Putting politics and the label aside, this is probably the best M. Lawrence wine we've tried. Loads of fruit – peach, strawberry, some citrus as well – a little bit sweet but light in body which I think really brings it together nicely.

Tropical fruit on the finish – papaya, pineapple, and a bit of orange blossom.

This is a solid wine from a fantastic producer – I've tried a bunch of sparkling wines, hundreds if you consider what we've done at wine tastings – and simply put L Mawby is among the best sparkling wine producers in the United States. This wine, along with many of their others, is proof why.

Wine: 10
QPR: 10

N/V M. Lawrence Sex Brut Rose Batch #39

L Mawby is a damn fine sparkling wine producer out of northern Michigan. This is one of the more entry level bottles that goes for about fifteen dollars.

Just a slight bit of nectarine on the nose.

A fairly thick body on this one with orange blossoms and more nectarine. There are some odd woody (cedar, perhaps) notes and some bitterness that are present at first, but blow off after a while. Something here reminds me of flying saucer candy – it's two wafers pressed together and shaped like a UFO with small bits of candy or sugar inside. Where can I find those? I am now craving them. But yeah – stone fruit, nectarine mostly, and orange blossoms.

Some chalkiness comes through on the finish along with just a bit of peach pie.

This is one of the weaker bottles in the M Lawrence line but it's still an enjoyable bottle and worth checking out.

Wine: 7
QPR: 7

N/V L Mawby Blanc de Noir Cuvee 124

The label here says “en tirage June 2006 / degorgement December 2007”

From a foot away you get a big whiff of bread dough but as you get closer some distinct red apples notes with a bit of nuttiness take over the nose.

Lots of crisp red apples on the palate, fruity but dry, a bit floral, and some solid yeasty notes make this a very nice well rounded bottle.

Good acid comes through on the finish with lingering apple

At $18 this is an easy recommendation. L Mawby rocks.

N/V L Mawby Blanc de Blanc Cuvee 118

The label on this one says “en tirage March 2006 / degorgement June 2008”

Citrus and walnuts on the nose.

Fairly mild – crisp, fruity, and a slight bit of sugar – good acid, sour green apple, pear, and orange zest and a bit of grapefruit all with just a bit of toastiness.

Orange rind and grapefruit linger on the finish

A solid bottle all around – while the $18 pricetag doesn't scream bargain, this is certainly a solid bottle and one I can't argue with. Recommended.

L Mawby – Suttons Bay 7/14/08

L Mawby

We've had a couple of this producer's wines before – in fact, this winery was one of the motivating factors to making this trip....the room was worked by two women, both friendly and really knew their stuff. So how does this place hold up to scrutiny?

Here's how it works: They only making sparkling wines, you get two free samples, and for $5 you can get two glasses of your choice plus crackers and cheese.

Sandpiper – peachy nose / light bodied, sweet and peachy, though quite good for a sweeter sparkler, somewhat like a sparkling muscat

Blanc de Blancs – hell yeah – dry, crisp green apple with citrus notes.

US – not too much jumped out at me here, fruity and a bit of sugar.

Cremant – not a whole lot on the nose / palate is quite nutty, a bit of apple and orange zest, good stuff.

Talismon – yeasty and toasty with green apple, quite good.

Sex – smells sweeter than it is, a bit of peach and grapefruit, good stuff.

Blanc de Noir – toasty, yeasty, citrus zest – very good, probably the best of the lot.

Easily the best sparkling wines in the area – and best of all, to our palates, were the mid-priced ones – excellent.