PRIMA Notes:  Joseph Cattin’s ‘Cuvee Tradition’ Pinot Noir. Cattin is the largest family-owned concern in Alsace.  They been producing wines since 1720 and the current generation of Cattin here is its twelfth!  Most of the family’s vineyards are in the heterogeneous steeply-pitched hills near Colmar where the Pinot Noir grape was originally planted to be harvested early in order to produce the winery’s very well-regarded sparkling Cremant.  But, as the climate has changed, so have the ripening parameters of the family’s Pinot Noir.  What was once light, tart and better suited to make charming sparkling wine has gradually become riper, fuller and readier to compete on the world stage as a still wine.  Mind you, we’re still not talking Belle Glos here.  We’re talking about 13% alcohol Pinot that emphasizes crunchy Queen Anne cherry fruit, a wonderful set of resiny pine forest, candied pastille and spice aromatics on top of a middle-weight, very fresh-finishing frame.  This is the kind of Pinot Noir you could so easily adopt as your house red if you’re like us and love the taste of the grape in its purest form.  It drinks very well by itself, can handle a bit of a chill if you want it and marry perfectly with a smoked salmon salad in the backyard or served in a Burgundy stem alongside a roast chicken or fish.  Last night it was just perfect with a ratatouille.  Burgundy lovers will appreciate its vivid, true-to-Pinot flavors and lovers of New Zealand or Oregon Pinots will find a lot to love too.  Does the future of Burgundy lay in Alsace?  Let’s wait and see!