Cal Cabs Thrashed In Decanter!

[Randy Caparoso]

Well, I have Tchelistcheff stories of my own. I first interviewed him in 1981 -- as a very, very young wine columnist -- and remember aking him to compare a Keenan Cabernet with a Palmer (I deliberately picked an enormous contrast) so that he could pronounce some basic differences between California Cab and Bordeaux for my readers. He was very, very kind. I knew the Keenan was pretty raw-gut stuff (Joe Cafaro was making it at the time), but Andre refused to say anything but positive things. In other words, although I knew the Keenan was outrageously "Californian" (in spite of its 2 or 3 puffs in Connoisseurs' Guide) and I was trying to get him to go out on a limb a little, all Andre would say is that it's a little "gaudy."

The last time I saw Andre (about a year before he passed on), I was seated next to him for a commemorative B.V. vertical; and I asked him, "So Andre, could you explain to me what I have been reading lately from people like Dr. Smart who speculate that vineyards like Martha's and de Pins probably could be improved if they were allowed to have increased yields via improved trellissing and spacing." This time, Andre was not so patient. His eyebrows began to work overtime as he began to almost chastise me -- saying "Young man, you have got to understand that there are NO miracles in winemaking. Vineyards like Madame de Pins and Martha's are like living beings, and they are willing and able to give only so much, no matter what man may try to do to them! So must not believe everything you read!"

By the way, that day the '68 Reserve, as always, tasted abosolutely the best. All in all, the day was memorable. I had a blown up (2' by 3') photo of him with me holding our Keenan Cabs (which always hang over my dining room table), and that last time I got him to sign it.

Well, back to the issues: I believe Tchlistcheff embraced change, but he was also very practical. If a wine tasted better with Merlot in it, then he did it. If not, he didn't. Which is why B.V. Reserves remained that way for so long. Simple as that.

Van: You may be disappointed, but I do think that Caymus Special Selection is great, solid wine. Ageability, I think is moot, because almost across the board California wines (Cabs, Pinots, Zins, etc.) are best drunk in relative baby-hood (when compared to France's great growth). How about another simplification? Re: the best California wines taste better than the best French wines in youth (say, less than 10 years old) -- even to the French! (The Brits -- they're another bag altogether). But after a decade or two -- no question, the great French wines prevail. This happens, by the way, in blind (and especially double blind) tasting after blind tasting -- so it's not just my personal opinion. I'd even venture to say that even the snooty Brits could be caught with their knickers down -- mixing Margauxs with Mondavi's - in this situation!