Los Carneros · Sonoma County
Visit LaRue Wines with a Private Chauffeur
Katy Wilson's small-lot Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, poured privately at the family farmhouse in Carneros, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Katy Wilson founded LaRue in 2009, at 26, and named it for her great-grandmother, Veona LaRue Newell, an independent woman who believed anything was possible through hard work. Katy grew up on a walnut orchard, earned degrees in wine and viticulture and agricultural business at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, worked harvests in both hemispheres and fell for the Sonoma Coast while working at Flowers. She and her husband, David Meneses, a certified sommelier, run every part of the business themselves.
LaRue makes small lots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from cool vineyards 7 to 10 miles from the Pacific on the western Sonoma Coast, among them Charles Heintz, Rice-Spivak, Thorn Ridge, Emmaline Ann and Coastlands. In 2021, the year their daughter was born, Katy and David added the Charlie LaRue label for organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards such as Monte Rosso and Bedrock. The two labels together come to only about 500 cases a year. Katy also makes the wines for Anaba, Reeve and Smith Story.
Tastings are private and seated, in the family's farmhouse on Bonneau Road, just south of the town of Sonoma, and they are not rushed: plan on an hour to an hour and a half. Because the wines are offered to the mailing list only twice a year, a visit here is one of the few chances to taste the whole lineup, single-vineyard bottlings included, with the people who make it.
Tasting Fees
$65 for the Collectors' Experience, a private, seated tasting of six wines, including single-vineyard wines and the Sonoma Coast blend, waived with a four-bottle purchase. Optional cheese plate $25 (serves 2 to 4).
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
60 Bonneau Road, Sonoma
AVA
Los Carneros
Visiting
Open every day for private tastings, by appointment only, booked on Tock or by phone at (707) 933-8355. Same-day reservations are taken when there is space.
Known For
Single-vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Charlie LaRue Cabernet Sauvignon
Founded
2009
Good to Know
Plan on an hour to an hour and a half. Tasting fees are not waived for parties of 6 or more. A cheese plate from local creameries can be added with 24 hours' notice. New releases go to the mailing list each spring and fall.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Sonoma hotel such as MacArthur Place or Ledson Hotel.
10:00 · Pickup at MacArthur Place or Ledson Hotel
MacArthur Place, a few blocks south of the plaza, and Ledson Hotel, on the east side of the Sonoma Plaza, are each about 15 minutes from LaRue's farmhouse. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · LaRue
The Collectors' Experience ($65): six wines, private and seated, about an hour to an hour and a half.
11:40 · Roche Winery
About 10 minutes away. The Roche family planted its first vines in southern Sonoma Valley in 1982, a year before Carneros became an AVA, and opened its new winery in the Tipperary Vineyard in 2019, with an indoor and outdoor Tasting Plaza, fireplaces and views across the valley's western slopes. The Select Tasting of four wines is $35 and the Reserve Tasting $45, each with the coming vintage tasted from the barrel. Open daily 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; walk-ins welcome, reservations strongly recommended.
1:00 · Lunch at Boon Fly Café
About 20 minutes away. A roadhouse in a red barn on the Carneros Highway, named for a Carneros pioneer and known for its donuts and fried chicken. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; reservations are for dinner only, so lunch is walk-in. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:25 · Troika Wines
About 15 minutes away. The Riggs family's small winery on Burndale Road, where the family hosts every visit: a walk in the vineyard, a look at the production space and the current releases at an easy pace. The Flagship Tasting and Tour is $50, about an hour. Daily from noon to 4 p.m., by appointment only.
3:25 · Back to your hotel
Back in Sonoma by 3:40 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. LaRue and Troika are by appointment only, so we book both when you reserve.
About $150 to $160 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at LaRue Wines?
Yes. Tastings are private and by appointment only, every day, and same-day bookings are taken when there is space. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at LaRue?
$65 per person for the Collectors' Experience of six wines, waived with a four-bottle purchase, as of September 2026. The fee is not waived for parties of 6 or more.
Who makes LaRue wine?
Katy Wilson, who founded LaRue in 2009 and owns it with her husband, David Meneses. She also makes the wines for Anaba, Reeve and Smith Story.
Where are LaRue's vineyards?
LaRue's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay come from vineyards 7 to 10 miles from the Pacific on the western Sonoma Coast. The tasting room is the family's farmhouse on Bonneau Road in Sonoma, in Los Carneros.
How can I buy LaRue wine?
Through the mailing list, which offers each new release in spring and fall, or the wine club. A limited amount is sold between offerings.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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