Raymond Burr Vineyards, A Tale of Two Friends

Many of the wineries in Sonoma have stories to tell that go well beyond the grapes planted. This is especially true when one of the owners came to the winery already famous.

Award-winning actor Raymond Burr was known as an actor on stage, in the movies and on television, but the Canadian actor also had a passion for wine, and it was in Sonoma that he chose to follow this dream. It was not a dream that he planned on tackling alone.

Burr had met Robert Benevides while filming the television show “Perry Mason” in the 1950s. The two formed a friendship over their love of orchids. The relationship blossomed, and soon they were selling the flowers as well as raising cattle on an island they bought in Fiji. But it was Northern California, where both had grown up, that beckoned the two. After their show “Ironside” went off the air in 1976, the duo bought an old farm in Dry Creek Valley with the hope of making wine. Ten years later the first grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay — were planted.

The first vineyard to produce wine came in 1990. Raymond Burr was dying of cancer when the first bottling took place in 199, and he would not live to see that very first vintage released in 1995. This did not in any way deter Robert Benevides from continuing to bring the winery to operation. It now produces Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Port, made from their estate grown Portuguese varietals. The wines have received critical acclaim, with their latest Chardonnays garnering gold ribbons.

The tasting room is full of photos, awards and tributes to Raymond Burr. Robert Benevides reminisces about his 33 year companion as if he was here yesterday. He has maintained the winery for them both, honoring all but one wish the actor had. Burr wanted to name the winery A Quinta dos Dos Amigos (the Farm of Two Friends), but Benevides believes it should just always remain Raymond Burr Vineyards.

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• Raymond Burr Vineyards, A Tale of Two Friends