La Petite Empreinte is a super exciting Domaine, started in 2020 in Courgis (Chablis) by Mélissa Bazin and Romain de Moor. Mélissa’s roots are in Ardèche and she’s done stints with legends like Sylvain Bock, Les Deux Terres, Jérôme Jouret, and Gérald Oustric – to name just a few. Romain, on the other hand, is the son of Alice and Olivier de Moor, a famous name in the Chablis wine scene. The two met while studying in the Jura, where Mélissa apprenticed at Domaine Labet, and Romain worked with Jean-François Ganevat. He’s also had time with Mas del Perié and Marcel Lapierre. The CV reads like a dream.

Originally, the plan was to settle down in Ardèche, but things had other ideas. In March 2020, right in the middle of the first lockdown, they took a leap of faith and applied to take over a small vineyard in Saint Bris le Vineux. They ended up winning the application and had to quickly pack up and head “back home” to get started. The 0.76ha vineyard they inherited needed a lot of TLC – it was in pretty rough shape. The goal is to work towards 3.5ha, which would give Mélissa enough space to run the show while also juggling life as a mum to three daughters. The farm is currently in organic conversion, and they’re big fans of agroforestry too. They’ve already replanted a bit over 1ha, so things are looking up.

Right now, all the winemaking happens in the cellar of Alice and Olivier de Moor, and they’re bringing the same slow, precise approach to the process. The wines are made with minimal intervention – whole bunch fermentation for the reds, super low SO2, and just lots of love and care.