Sonoma Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Proxy Wines with a Private Chauffeur
Winemaker Molly Lippitt's micro-production, single-vineyard wines, a few hundred cases at most. Proxy Wines does not receive visitors; here is what to know, and a day at sought-after estates nearby that do host.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Molly Lippitt grew up in Sonoma Valley and earned a biology degree, then took a job in a winery lab that changed her plans for graduate school. She moved to cellar work and spent fifteen years alongside celebrated winemakers including Heidi Barrett, Philippe Melka, Julien Fayard, Mike Hirby and Scott Rich, and she consults for a handful of Napa Valley brands. Proxy began after she became a mother: a baby, by proxy, as she puts it.
Proxy is a deliberately tiny label, made with a light hand so the vineyard speaks louder than the maker, and every wine is a single-vineyard bottling from sustainably farmed sites. Recent releases include a Grenache Blanc from Mounts Family Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, a Chenin Blanc from a Sierra Foothills vineyard first planted in the 1850s, a Grenache from Golden Eagle Vineyard in Mendocino County and a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from Hogan's Run, of which only 48 cases were made.
The wines are sold online through the winery's website. Proxy has no tasting room and publishes no visiting program, so for a day of tasting in Sonoma we take guests to small estates nearby that do open their doors.
Tasting Fees
Proxy Wines does not offer tastings.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
No tasting room, Sonoma
AVA
Sonoma Valley
Visiting
Proxy Wines has no tasting room and does not publish a visiting program. The wines are sold online.
Known For
Micro-production, single-vineyard wines such as Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Grenache and Pinot Noir
Founded
Founded by winemaker Molly Lippitt (year not published)
Good to Know
Buy current releases on the winery's website, where you can also sign up for an account; questions go to the email address on the site.
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 about 10 and 15 minutes from Nicholson Ranch, the first stop. Since Proxy Wines does not host visitors, this day takes you to three sought-after estates nearby that do. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Nicholson Ranch
About 15 minutes away. An estate in the southern foothills of Sonoma Valley, on land the Nicholson family has owned since 1962, where every wine is grown and made from its own 40 acres. The Cave Tour and Tasting walks the vineyard and the winery and goes down into the underground cellars, five Estate and Reserve wines along the way ($75, by appointment, 2 to 8 guests); the seated Courtyard Tasting is $50. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
11:45 · Winery Sixteen 600
About 15 minutes away. Phil Coturri, who has farmed organically since 1978, and his family pour single-vineyard wines from certified organic vineyards, including head-trained Zinfandel and Moon Mountain Cabernet, in a 120-year-old farmhouse a block from the Sonoma Plaza, where guests sit in antique theater seats and choose the records. The seated Tasting House Reservation of five wines is $42 and the Moon Mountain District Wine Tasting $75, each 90 minutes. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; tastings reserved in advance.
1:20 · Lunch at the girl & the fig
About 5 minutes away. Sondra Bernstein's restaurant on the Sonoma Plaza, serving French country cooking from a seasonal menu, with cheese and charcuterie, a Rhône-focused wine list and a garden patio. Open from 11:30 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:45 · Kivelstadt Cellars
About 15 minutes away. Jordan Kivelstadt's organic, minimal-intervention winery, known for orange wine, Charbono and its experimental KC Labs bottlings, pouring in a garden under 100-year-old sycamores on Broadway, with shared bites from Bloom Carneros on the same property. Lounge tastings run $30 to $40. Open Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., last tasting at 3; reservations on Tock.
3:45 · Back to your hotel
Back in Sonoma by 4:00 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Kivelstadt is open Thursday to Monday, so this day works Thursday to Monday; we book the Nicholson cave tour and the Sixteen 600 tasting ahead.
About $145 to $190 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
Can you visit Proxy Wines?
No. Proxy Wines has no tasting room and does not publish a visiting program, as of September 2026.
How can I buy Proxy wine?
Online through the winery's website. Production is very small, from a few dozen to a few hundred cases of each wine.
Who makes Proxy Wines?
Molly Lippitt, who was raised in Sonoma Valley and worked fifteen years alongside winemakers such as Heidi Barrett and Philippe Melka.
Where is Proxy Wines based?
In Sonoma, California. The grapes come from single vineyards in Sonoma County, Mendocino County and the Sierra Foothills.
Why is it called Proxy?
After becoming a mother, Molly wanted to grow and nurture something else: a baby, by proxy.
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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