André Tchelistcheff
Encyclopedia
André Tchelistcheff was America's most influential post-Prohibition
winemaker. Tchelistcheff is most notable for his contributions toward defining the style of California's best wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon
. Called the "dean of American winemakers", industry pioneers, such as Robert Mondavi
, Louis Martini and Rob Davis of Jordan Vineyard & Winery
, considered him their mentor.
, Russia
in 1901, Tchelistcheff's father was Chief Justice of the Russian Imperial Court. Tchelistcheff studied at the military academy at Kiev
, but returned to his family when they were forced to flee Moscow due to the Russian Revolution of 1917
. From 1918-1921, Tchelistcheff fought with the White Army
in the Russian Civil War
. In 1921, he was left for dead on a Crimean battlefield after his unit was machine-gunned during a snowstorm. He eventually recovered and was reunited with his family, who fled Russia to Yugoslavia
.
After leaving Russia, Tchelistcheff studied agricultural technology in Czechoslovakia
and then continued his education in France
at both the Institut Pasteur and the Institut National Agronomique, where he studied oenology
, fermentation
and microbiology
.
s (BV) founder and owner Georges de Latour visited France in search of a new winemaker who had a cosmopolitan and scientific background. He was introduced to Tchelistcheff at the French National Agronomy Institute where Andre was working, along with research he was doing at the Pasteur Institute
. This introduction came through the auspices of Leon Bonnet, Emeritus Professor at University of California, Berkeley
and a BV consultant. Although Tchelistcheff had already received offers from winemakers worldwide, he agreed to join Beaulieu Vineyard, and arrived in Napa Valley
, California in September, 1938 as BV's vice president and chief winemaker.
Tchelistcheff's impact at BV was immediate and profound: he concentrated his efforts on defining a style for high-quality California Cabernet Sauvignon, and created the "Georges de Latour Private Reserve" label. He introduced new techniques and procedures to the region, such as aging wine in small French Oak barrels. By the mid-1940s, "Private Reserve" was widely recognized as the benchmark for California Cabernet Sauvignon, and was served at all important White House
functions. The shift to using small American oak barrels took place after the US entered WWII, and became an accepted tradition at BV under Tchelistcheff and his successors until 1989.
Tchelistcheff provided significant contributions to the techniques of cold fermentation, vineyard frost protection, malolactic fermentation
, and the development of winemaking regions in Carneros
, California, Oregon
and Washington.
He remained vice president of Beaulieu Vineyards until his retirement in 1973. He later became consulting enologist at Jordan Vineyard & Winery
beginning with its inaugural 1976 vintage. He also operated a private wine laboratory in St. Helena
and consulted to Joseph Heitz, Mike Grgich
, Joel Aiken, Jordan, Neibaum/Coppola
, Buena Vista Winery
, Erath Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle
, and Columbia Crest Winery. While consulting for Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington, Tchelistcheff also gave winemaking advice to his nephew, Alex Golitzin. After four years as an amateur winemaker, and encouraged by his uncle, Golitzin founded Quilceda Creek Vintners
in Snohomish, Washington
, a winery that would eventually achieve three 100-point scores for its Columbia Valley AVA
Cabernet Sauvignon from wine critic Robert Parker
.
A man of diminutive stature (4'11"), his quick wit, sharp intellect, and legendarily refined palate endeared him to three generations of California winemakers, who affectionately referred to him as the "Maestro." Tchelistcheff was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's
Vintner's Hall of Fame in 2007.
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
winemaker. Tchelistcheff is most notable for his contributions toward defining the style of California's best wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
. Called the "dean of American winemakers", industry pioneers, such as Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi
Robert Gerald Mondavi was a leading California vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than...
, Louis Martini and Rob Davis of Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Vineyard & Winery is a family-owned California winery tucked into the hills of the Alexander Valley AVA in Sonoma County. Jordan produces Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Russian River Valley Chardonnay, both of which are consistently ranked as some of America's most popular...
, considered him their mentor.
Childhood and Education
Born to an aristocratic family in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1901, Tchelistcheff's father was Chief Justice of the Russian Imperial Court. Tchelistcheff studied at the military academy at Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, but returned to his family when they were forced to flee Moscow due to the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
. From 1918-1921, Tchelistcheff fought with the White Army
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. In 1921, he was left for dead on a Crimean battlefield after his unit was machine-gunned during a snowstorm. He eventually recovered and was reunited with his family, who fled Russia to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
After leaving Russia, Tchelistcheff studied agricultural technology in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and then continued his education in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at both the Institut Pasteur and the Institut National Agronomique, where he studied oenology
Oenology
Oenology,[p] œnology , or enology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which is a subfield called viticulture. “Viticulture & oenology” is a common designation for training programmes and research centres that include both the...
, fermentation
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...
and microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
.
Winemaker
In 1938, Beaulieu VineyardBeaulieu Vineyard
Beaulieu Vineyard is a vineyard near Rutherford, California, belonging to the appellation Rutherford AVA. It was established by Georges de Latour and his wife Fernande in 1900.-History:...
s (BV) founder and owner Georges de Latour visited France in search of a new winemaker who had a cosmopolitan and scientific background. He was introduced to Tchelistcheff at the French National Agronomy Institute where Andre was working, along with research he was doing at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
. This introduction came through the auspices of Leon Bonnet, Emeritus Professor at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and a BV consultant. Although Tchelistcheff had already received offers from winemakers worldwide, he agreed to join Beaulieu Vineyard, and arrived in Napa Valley
Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
, California in September, 1938 as BV's vice president and chief winemaker.
Tchelistcheff's impact at BV was immediate and profound: he concentrated his efforts on defining a style for high-quality California Cabernet Sauvignon, and created the "Georges de Latour Private Reserve" label. He introduced new techniques and procedures to the region, such as aging wine in small French Oak barrels. By the mid-1940s, "Private Reserve" was widely recognized as the benchmark for California Cabernet Sauvignon, and was served at all important White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
functions. The shift to using small American oak barrels took place after the US entered WWII, and became an accepted tradition at BV under Tchelistcheff and his successors until 1989.
Tchelistcheff provided significant contributions to the techniques of cold fermentation, vineyard frost protection, malolactic fermentation
Malolactic fermentation
Malolactic fermentation is a process in winemaking where tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation tends to create a rounder, fuller mouthfeel. It has been said that malic acid tastes of green apples...
, and the development of winemaking regions in Carneros
Los Carneros AVA
Los Carneros AVA is an American Viticultural Area which includes parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties in California, U.S.A.. It is located north of San Pablo Bay. The proximity to the cool fog and breezes from the bay makes the climate in Los Carneros cooler and more moderate than the wine...
, California, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington.
He remained vice president of Beaulieu Vineyards until his retirement in 1973. He later became consulting enologist at Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Vineyard & Winery is a family-owned California winery tucked into the hills of the Alexander Valley AVA in Sonoma County. Jordan produces Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Russian River Valley Chardonnay, both of which are consistently ranked as some of America's most popular...
beginning with its inaugural 1976 vintage. He also operated a private wine laboratory in St. Helena
St. Helena, California
St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....
and consulted to Joseph Heitz, Mike Grgich
Mike Grgich
Mike Grgich is a Croatian American winemaker in California. He was born into a winemaking family in the town of Desne on Croatia's coastal region of Dalmatia...
, Joel Aiken, Jordan, Neibaum/Coppola
Rubicon Estate Winery
The Rubicon Estate Winery is located in Rutherford, California, USA. The winery sits on a portion of the historic Napa Valley property first acquired in 1879 by a Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Niebaum, founder of the Inglenook Winery.-History:In 1975, Francis Ford Coppola and his wife Eleanor,...
, Buena Vista Winery
Buena Vista Winery
Buena Vista Winery , located in Sonoma Valley, is the oldest commercial winery in California. It was founded by Agoston Haraszthy in 1857.-External links:*...
, Erath Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle
Chateau Ste. Michelle
The Chateau Ste. Michelle is a winery in Woodinville, Washington. The winery is noted for its best-selling Riesling bottlings. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest single producer of Riesling wine in the United States. The winery also produces wines of other varietals and some experimental wines...
, and Columbia Crest Winery. While consulting for Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington, Tchelistcheff also gave winemaking advice to his nephew, Alex Golitzin. After four years as an amateur winemaker, and encouraged by his uncle, Golitzin founded Quilceda Creek Vintners
Quilceda Creek Vintners
Quilceda Creek Vintners is a boutique winery in Snohomish, Washington specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon wine. The winery is named for a nearby creek in Snohomish County. Although the winery facility is located west of the Cascade Range, the winery sources all of its grapes from six...
in Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
, a winery that would eventually achieve three 100-point scores for its Columbia Valley AVA
Columbia Valley AVA
The Columbia Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in the Columbia River Plateau, through much of central and southern Washington state, with a small section crossing into the neighboring state of Oregon. The AVA includes the drainage basin of the Columbia River and its tributaries...
Cabernet Sauvignon from wine critic Robert Parker
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become very influential in American wine buying and are...
.
A man of diminutive stature (4'11"), his quick wit, sharp intellect, and legendarily refined palate endeared him to three generations of California winemakers, who affectionately referred to him as the "Maestro." Tchelistcheff was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
Vintner's Hall of Fame in 2007.
Awards
- Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award, 1986.
- Wine Man of the Year, Wine Industry Technical Symposium, 1990
- Reader's Choice Award, The Person Who Has Done the Most to Advance Wine Quality, Wine Spectator 2000
- COPIA Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004.
- Vintners Hall of Fame (Created by the Culinary Institute of America), March 2007
External links
- Obituary. (Apr. 7, 1994). San Francisco Chronicle, pg. A24
- BV History. Retrieved Jan. 3, 2005.
- "Andre Tchelistcheff, America's finest winemaker". (Oct. 12, 2005). Staten Island Advance.
- "André Tchelistcheff, 1901-1994". (May 12, 1994). Wine Spectator.