La Petite Empreinte is a Domaine created in 2020 based in Courgis in the Yonne region near Chablis by Mélissa Bazin and Romain de Moor.

Mélissa comes from Ardèche and has always been passionate by organic agriculture. She has worked with a few farmers there and did a few work placements with local vignerons like Sylvain Bock, Les Deux Terres, Jérôme Jouret, Gérald Oustric to name a few.

Romain de Moor is the son of a famous Domaine in Courgis, Chablis.

The couple met during their study in the Jura, apprenticing at Domaine Labet for Mélissa and Jean-François Ganevat for Romain. He also worked with the likes of Mas del Perié and Marcel Lapierre

They initially wanted to settle in Ardèche for a little while before Romain needed to head back to help his family. In March 2020, in the middle of the first lockdown they took a bet and applied to take over a tiny vineyard in Saint Bris le Vineux. They won the application process and in haste had to move “back home”.

The 0.76 vineyard needed to be pruned and was in a very sorry state. The first vintage saw a microscopic release of two wines: a Sauvignon called Perseverance (to persevere) and a Pinot Noir called Tapis Rouge (red carpet).

The aim is to have 3.5ha which Melissa could work on her own while being a mum to their 3 daughters. The farm is currently in organic conversion with the use of agroforestry. They already replanted 1ha and a bit.

At the minute all the wines are made in the cellar of Alice and Olivier de Moor. The same slow pace and precision apply in the winemaking at La Petite Empreinte with low intervention, whole bunch fermentation for the reds, minimal usage of SO2.

You can easily guess; this is a microscopic allocation but an exciting project to watch developing.