Lena D’Agostini Esola was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley. When she married Ernest Esola, she moved to the 226 acre ranch first established by Ernest’s parents, Giacomo and Louise, in 1910. She and Ernest operated the ranch along with his brother John and wife Lois. Lena survived the longest, farming grapes and walnuts, along with sheep and cattle. With her passing, daughter Denise Esola is continuing the family farming tradition.
I'm probably one of the very few who ever met Lena and Ernie in the wine-geek world. Back in the early '70's, FrankMahoney/CarnerosCreek and PaulDraper/Ridge were both making terrific Zins from the Esola (and Eschen) vnyds. Generally around 15%+ alcohol; classic Amador Zins.
In the late '70's (by crackey), I was writing an article for (Philip Seldon's) Vintage magazine on "Zinfandels of the Esola & Eschen Vnyds". I made an appt w/ Ernie to take a look at the vnyd he & John farmed. By then, they had moved off the farm & into town (Pokerville....or Plymouth now). I pulled into their driveway (going North thru Plymouth on Hwy 49, 3'rd house on the right thru the main intersection) and old cars and junk everywhere. Felt like I was right at home in my Kansas roots. Ernie & Lena invited me into their living room to chat. Classic old-timey Kansas living room...lace curtains everywhere, lace doilies on the arms of the overstuffed Sears&Roebuck chairs. Real/genuine Kansas farm folks people. They were so impressed that a "famous" wine journalist wanted to visit w/ them that they insisted I stay for lunch w/ them.
After driving out to the vnyd in Ernie's beat-up pickup & walking the vnyd, we returned to the house for lunch. Plain ole Kansas-like lunch, no pretensions, no printed menu, but there was wine. Some of Ernie's ho-made Zin. Obviously 2'nd crop Zin, pretty alcoholic, overripe, little sweetness (stuck fermentation), bit brownish & oxidized. But their warm/genuine company more than made up for the wine.
During lunch, I mentioned that my car (an old '68 Dodge Dart w/ 200,000 plus miles on it...it eventually went out over 300,000 miles) was making a kind of knocking/clattering sound. Ernie knew exactly what the problem was and after lunch he had me drive round back, jacked the rear end up & crawled under to take a look-see. "Yup....badly warn U-Joints..need to get that fixed before your drive back to NM". I suspect, if'n I'd asked, ole Ernie would have replaced them for me that day.
Anyway, after about a four hr visit, they bid me adieu and gifted me w/ a btl of his Ho-made Zin that FrankMahoney had specially bottled, w/ a neat label, for them for Denise's wedding a year or two before. They were proud as punch.
Ernie, or OrneryErnie as he was known there in the ShenandoahVlly, was known to be on the ornery & cantankerous side. I, of course, didn't see that side of him. Ernie died some 15 yrs ago or so when he was welding something and his acetelyne tank exploded. When I was out there for NEB3 a yr ago, I tried to meet up w/ Lena but couldn't reach her. Stopped in the Plymouth beauty salon and they knew Lena as one of their customers, but didn't know where she was that day.
Anyway...sad to hear Lena has passed. It's people like Ernie & Lena who make this wine world of ours such a special place.
Tom