La Petite Empreinte Arrosé 2023
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La Petite Empreinte, which translates as ‘The Small Footprint’ is the very new estate of Romain de Moor and his partner Mélissa Bazin.
Mélissa has spent time in the Jura at Domaine Labet and, before that, internships in the Ardèche, where she comes from, with several vignerons including Sylvain Bock, Gérald Oustric and Gilles Azzoni. She also worked with Domaine Bruno Clair.
Romain has also worked in several estates including Jean-François Ganevat and Domaine Lapierre and, of course, with his parents on the family estate before heading to other parts of France.
What a wonderful selection of teachers they both have had! They have also both had formal training as part of their ‘apprenticeship’ prior to embarking on the La Petite Empreinte project from 2020. We are excited to be working with them and grateful to have made the connection via Romain’s parents.
Their micro-estate consisted originally of less than a hectare of vines in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux and Vincelottes, both communes in the Yonne department in the north of Burgundy. They have slowly added to it and planted new vines but it is still tiny. They currently have Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Sauvignon Blanc vines but the two wines we have for our first offering are both made from 100% Pinot Noir. The work organically in their vines, which are in clay and limestone soils, and are part-way through the process of conversion to achieve organic certification.
In the cellar they ferment their wines naturally and neither of these wines have any additions. They also do no filtration or fining. The wines are very pure and very good.
La Petite Empreinte Arrosé 2023
This is the delicious, summery rosé from Mélissa and Romain.
This cuveé has been made from grapes picked from their plot of land in the Sain-Bris Le Vineux commune which is an interesting area as it is the one spot in Burgundy where it is possible to plant Sauvignon Blanc and use the Saint-Bris appellation.
However this wine is made from Burgundian favourite, Pinot Noir which is from their plot which is planted on a plateau where the rocks are Portlandian limestone. The vines were originally planted in 1978, so are around 45 years old – a perfect age for Pinot Noir vines. The vines are currently in conversion to organic
The grapes were harvested manually and sorted prior to being slowly direct pressed to create some colour at the end of the press. Fermentation, of course, only with the indigenous yeast and then 3 months in wooden barrels without racking.
It was bottled in December, 2023 without added sulphites. The footprints on the label are those of their daughter Isis, who was born during the 2023 harvest.'
- Living Wines
