Getting It Done Right
The legacy of the Hewetts spans more than 100 years in the Lewis-Clark Valley. They were homesteaders in the area before moving to Arrow near Juliaetta, Idaho, in 1959.
Ron, Sr.'s grandfather, Oscar Carpenter, operated a sawmill on Craig Mountain near Soldiers Meadow until the early 1950s. The mill burned down and was then relocated to the Lewiston Orchards. Ron, Sr., the patriarch of the family, was born and lived on Webb Ridge near this original sawmill location on a homestead with his family until 1959 when they purchased the land and built the house along the Clearwater River where the vineyards are located today.
The family continues to this day running their hay and cattle ranching business at their Hewett River Ranch property as well as on Webb Ridge just south of Lewiston, Idaho.
Rivaura, their most recent joint venture, was born of a vision that would pave the way for the next generations of Hewetts to make their mark. Turning the family estate into vineyards, given ideal geological conditions for wine growing, was a natural next step. That vision came to life in 2014 when the research was done and the first vines were planted. What remains constant across the last century is the Hewett family's close working relationship with and reverence for the land they call home.