# La Petite Empreinte Côteaux Bourguignons "Mas a Tierra" Rouge (2023)

- **Producer:** Domaine de la Petite Empreinte
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Burgundy, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €39
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 12–15 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, strawberry, rose, violet, herbaceous, forest floor, wet leaves, mushroom

## About this wine

Domaine de la Petite Empreinte is a microscopic estate in Burgundy founded in 2020 by Mélissa Bazin and Romain De Moor. Romain is the son of Alice and Olivier De Moor, legendary natural winemakers in Chablis. Having trained at iconic estates like Domaine Labet in Jura and with producers in Ardèche, the duo applies elite natural winemaking principles to their own project. The name "Más a Tierra" (Spanish for "closer to land") refers to Robinson Crusoe Island, a playful nod to the extreme isolation of this tiny 0.4-hectare vineyard plot in Vincelottes, south of Auxerre. This wine showcases how the Kimmeridgian limestone soils of the Auxerrois region can produce extraordinarily fresh, mineral-driven, and elegant Pinot Noir.

## Interesting facts

- The wine's name, Spanish for 'closer to land', refers to Robinson Crusoe Island, reflecting the isolation of this tiny vineyard plot.
- Co-founder Romain De Moor is the son of Alice and Olivier De Moor, the legendary natural winemakers of Chablis.
- The wine is produced from a microscopic 0.4-hectare plot of 30-year-old vines, yielding only a few barrels per year.

## Food pairing

This delicate, high-acid Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with lean meats, poultry, and earthy dishes. The bright acidity cuts through the richness of duck and pork, while the wine's subtle forest floor and red fruit notes complement wild mushrooms and charcuterie without overpowering them.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process is strictly low-intervention and natural. Grapes are hand-harvested from 30-year-old vines grown on Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soils. Fermentation occurs spontaneously using only indigenous yeasts. The grapes undergo 21 to 30 days of whole-cluster maceration with one to two manual punch-downs per day. The wine is aged for 11 to 12 months on its fine lees in old, neutral Burgundy oak barrels without any racking. No sulfur is added at any point during fermentation, aging, or bottling, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.