Memory-saving cache-clearing strategies for large sites?
Is there any intelligent and graceful way to clear all caches with Drupal besides simply clicking the button in the UI, or using drush cc all?


The cache actions module does that. It depends on rule. For exampple, you can setup a rule to clear a specific view when a node of type "x" has been added or updated. Checkout the docs for more details.

Also take a look at the cache graceful module - haven't tried it yet but looks interesting.