ESSE

In 2000, four childhood friends pooled resources to rent a bankrupt Soviet collective farm winery in Crimea (Крым)’s Kacha Valley. The 1978 facility stood empty, a relic of failed central planning. Igor Samsonov, then working in 1990s alcohol distribution—an era he described as bartering “fuel for cognac, wine for wheels”—believed Crimea could produce world-class wines despite its reputation as a cheap wine region. Industry insiders dismissed them. When Samsonov first approached the kolkhoz managers wearing shorts and carrying a shopping bag, they kicked him out.

Twenty years later, Forbes Russia would name the winery “Winery of the Year 2021.” Samsonov would not be alive to receive it.

The Contrarian Bet on Crimean Terroir

The conventional wisdom in Russian wine during the 2000s was clear: premium bottles came from Europe, Crimean wineries produced mass-market products for domestic consumption, and no amount of capital could overcome centuries of reputation. Samsonov, an economics graduate who had spent the chaotic 1990s navigating Crimea’s alcohol trade, saw a different equation. He had grown up in Crimea, knew grapes and vineyards since school, and recognized that the region’s terroir had never been properly exploited under Soviet production quotas prioritizing volume over quality.

The founding team—Samsonov, Maxim Fakeyev, and husband-wife partners Ruslan and Marianna Klassov—purchased the Dolinnoe (Долинное) facility outright by 2003. They named the company Satera after a childhood resort village, a deliberate callback to their shared Crimean roots. In 2005, they launched the premium ESSE (埃塞) brand with bright, bold labels that broke entirely from Soviet-era wine design conventions. The first bottling was 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Bastardo—a declaration that Crimean wine could compete on quality, not just price.

But buying a winery and declaring premium ambitions were not enough. ESSE initially purchased grapes from external suppliers, a standard practice but one that limited control over quality. Samsonov understood that credibility required vertical integration—estate vineyards where every variable from rootstock to harvest timing could be managed for excellence.

From Purchased Grapes to Estate Winemaking

The transformation began in 2009 when Samsonov invited French specialists to analyze the Kacha Valley terroir. Their assessment was definitive: chalky limestone soils at 300-430 meters elevation created conditions rivaling Burgundy. This was not marketing hyperbole—it was geological validation that Crimea’s reputation as a cheap wine region was a legacy of Soviet production decisions, not inherent terroir limitations.

In 2010, ESSE planted 46 hectares with 17 varieties sourced from Guillaume nursery in Burgundy. The density was set at 4,000-4,100 vines per hectare, European standard for quality-focused production. Samsonov hired professional enologist Oleg Repin to oversee winemaking, signaling a shift from entrepreneurial ambition to systematic quality-building. The first estate harvest came in 2013—150 tons that marked ESSE’s graduation from purchased-grape producer to true estate winery.

By 2015, ESSE launched the Kacha Valley line, an ultra-premium tier priced 3-5 times higher than the entry-level Satera brand. Industry publications immediately recognized it as among Russia’s finest wines. The three-tier hierarchy—Satera (entry), ESSE (premium), Kacha Valley (ultra-premium)—gave the winery flexibility to serve different market segments while maintaining a halo effect from the top tier.

Then came 2014. Russia annexed Crimea, triggering international sanctions that blocked all exports. For most Crimean wineries, this was catastrophic—Western markets evaporated overnight. For ESSE, it proved fortuitous. Russian consumers, unable to access European imports and newly proud of Crimean wines, became captive customers for premium domestic bottles. The same sanctions that destroyed export dreams created domestic pricing power.

The Crisis No One Anticipated

Igor Samsonov spent 2020 battling a prolonged illness. In November, despite his deteriorating health, he traveled to Moscow (Москва) to present ESSE Unplugged—an experimental line featuring orange wines and indigenous Crimean varieties, a nod to his reputation as the “rock-n-roll winemaker” of Russian viticulture. It would be his final project.

On December 26, 2020, Samsonov died in Sevastopol (Севастополь) at age 46. He left behind his wife Inna, son Dava, and a winery producing 3.5 million bottles annually from 164 hectares of estate vineyards. Industry observers wondered if ESSE’s quality-first philosophy, so closely tied to Samsonov’s personal vision, could survive without its founder.

The answer came in June 2021 when business records confirmed Andrey Verzillin had acquired a 67% majority stake. The original co-founders—Fakeyev and the Klassovs—remained in operational roles, ensuring continuity. Chief winemaker Natalya Dynnikova, who had trained under Oleg Repin for three years before his departure, maintained the estate’s exacting standards.

On December 13, 2021—11.5 months after Samsonov’s death—Forbes Russia announced its annual wine rankings. ESSE was named “Winery of the Year 2021.” The flagship Cabernet Franc scored 95 points, taking second place in the national competition.

The posthumous vindication was complete. Samsonov had built something that transcended his mortality.

Business Model: Vertical Integration as Survival Strategy

ESSE’s resilience through founder death, ownership change, and geopolitical isolation rests on its vertically integrated structure. The winery controls 164+ hectares across three vineyard sites: the original Kacha Valley estate planted in 2010, a second 42-hectare plot added in 2017 with Italian Rauscedo nursery rootstock, and a 2020 partnership with the Akchurin family for 70 hectares in Chernaya River Valley. This land base provides complete control over grape supply, eliminating dependence on external growers whose quality standards might waver.

Production follows European boutique winery protocols: hand-picked harvesting in 10-12kg crates, yield restrictions of 4-7 tons per hectare, aging in 500 French and American oak barrels, and traditional method sparkling wines aged 15-60 months on lees. These are not merely quality gestures—they are systematic moats against competition from mass-market producers who cannot afford such labor-intensive methods.

The three-tier brand hierarchy generates revenue across price points. Satera (entry-level) provides volume and cash flow. ESSE (premium) targets the expanding Russian middle class. Kacha Valley (ultra-premium, priced at 1,000-5,000+ rubles per bottle) creates halo effect and margin. In 2024, the winery reported 164 million rubles in revenue with 12.3 million rubles net profit—a 12% year-over-year growth rate despite being landlocked by sanctions.

Tourism provides secondary revenue. ESSE operates owned retail stores in Simferopol and Evpatoria, and offers Sunset Wine Tours through the Kacha Valley vineyards. This direct-to-consumer channel insulates the winery from distributor margin pressures and builds brand loyalty through experiential marketing.

Recognition Without the Founder

Since Samsonov’s death, ESSE has continued accumulating accolades: Silver medals at AVVR competitions (2023, 2024, 2025), “Best Varietal Wine 2024” from Simple Wine News, and consistent Top-10 winery placement in Top100Wines rankings. In July 2025, however, a new risk emerged: Russian prosecutors initiated nationalization proceedings against assets linked to Andrey Verzillin’s business partner, raising questions about ownership stability.

Yet the winery operates as if Samsonov never left. Chief winemaker Natalya Dynnikova maintains the estate’s quality protocols. The Unplugged experimental line continues. New plantings of Pinot Noir and Chenin Blanc expand varietal diversity. The brand DNA—Crimean terroir validation through uncompromising quality—remains intact.

ESSE’s story raises a fundamental question for founder-led businesses: can vision survive without the visionary? In this case, the answer is yes—not because Samsonov was replaceable, but because he built systems, trained successors, and embedded philosophy into operational DNA. The posthumous Forbes award validated what he spent two decades proving: great wines can be born in Crimea. His heirs, biological and institutional, simply continue executing that thesis.

The sanctions that block ESSE from export markets create a paradoxical moat: no international competition can enter Crimea either. The winery serves a captive domestic audience that has learned to appreciate premium Russian wines. Revenue grows 12% annually without access to global markets. For a founder who started by bartering “fuel for cognac,” that would count as triumph.

Last updated: January 15, 2026