Dzongkha by L'Artisan Parfumeur (2006)

Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour

I’ve never been a fan of L’Artisan fragrances, let alone the uncontrollably prolific Bertrandingo. But one thing I’ve to admit – in the extremely seldom circumstances where they both work at their best, with decent budgets and some solid inspiration, the results are great. And this is definitely the case. This is easily one of the best woody-iris scents on the market, brilliantly succeeding in blending the utmost versatility and wearability with a tremendous level of creativity and quality. Basically I agree with the reviews (including Luca Turin’s one in his Guide) which connect Dzonghka to Timbuktu, as this is indeed basically Timbuktu with iris, which is amazingly blended within that peculiar sort of transparent cypress-woody and subtly leathery structure adding a powdery, rooty, dry and earthy-waxy texture which fits it just perfectly. It’s like to smell the smoky, greenish, autumnal “papery” woodiness of Timbuktu shyly blossoming in early March. Not a “floral triumph”, just some faint, pastel, still quite dark accent of rooty-floral notes rising from the soil, soon joined by a subtle, warm tea note. This is pretty much of Dzonghka smells, and it’s just achieved perfectly. It’s graceful, elegant, natural, breezy yet very cozy: no cheap musks, no plastic iris. The concept is simple, the execution is clever and well mastered. Just some genuine, palpably realistic sprinkle of orris powder on smoky woods with a “mineral” salty aftertaste and a slighty touch of sweetness which will grow in strenght on the (impeccable) drydown. It’s poetic, complex yet quite straightforward, masterfully executed keeping Timbuktu’s great ability of smelling “airy” but totally substantial. And it smells fantastic anyway. Heart-warmingly austere and very classy. Plus, finally a decently-projecting, decently persistent L’Artisan, for God’s sake. Recommended!

8-8,5/10

Tea for Two by L'Artisan Parfumeur (2000)

Get a job!

I had some expectations about this, as I really love tea, but as for tobacco (which I love, too), this is just another disappointment. I may be wrong or used to the wrong kind of teas, but I really don’t see how one could buy this cheap, synthetic, subtly (but I admit, pleasantly) zesty musky-spicy blend with a massive synthetic tobacco base for a “lapsang blend”. Or a tea blend of any kind, unless you reference tea is in your office’s vending machine. It isn’t dramatically bad, but it’s just a fairly cheap, extremely linear and massively uninspired sort of sweetish mish-mash between Gucci pour Homme II, Tobacco Vanille and Bvlgari Black and/or Céline pour Homme, in a clumsy attempt to rip-off Annick Menardo’s style and fondness for dry, smoky, elusively Oriental “weightless” textures (not the first time I notice this “talent” of the Queen of hipster parfumistas – Olivia Giacobetti). Again, just to be clear, it smells decent, but it’s really a depressing department store kind of decent. If you want a sweet tobacco, then stick to the plethora of cheap clones of Tobacco Vanille; if you want some versatile masculine tea-infused scent, the immensely richer, more compelling and more quality Gucci pour Homme II is there for you, and it’s still the nicest “tea-inspired” scent I’ve ever tried.

You know that joke: “when I went to parties and then people said things like «there was two or three people», I always was «or three»” - that’s Tea for Two. A flat bit of this, a bit of that, mediocrely diluted with zero inspiration and zero creativity. Last but not least, with a crap longevity. Meh.

5/10

Patchouli Patch EDT by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Year: 2002
Nose: Jean-Claude Ellena

Honest, linear, mild and discreet patchouli, with a substantial earthy-dusty sweet side (cocoa beans like), a mellow sandalwood base and a subtle but refreshing herbal/floral breeze, really pleasant and unique. A month came to my mind: September. It has that same quiet, smoky and malinconic suspended understatement that characterises that month - summer is over, autumn is not there yet, we kind of wait for something to happen, days shorten, the weather is warm and pale... oh, well. It eventually evolves moving on a more balsamic/herbaceous territory, always quite soft, round, restrained and docile – L'Artisan signature lightness, in short. It is undoubtably well composed, as you feel all the notes clearly and they smell great: it is a light and lively patchouli with a peculiar base carefreeness and brightness which make it stand apart. Carefree but also evocative and meditative. Despite I personally prefer other patchouli scents which amplify and shape better its raw earthiness – notably, for example, Patchouli Nobile by Nobile 1942 – I must admit this take by L'Artisan is really pleasant, a bit shy and delicate but elegant, balanced, smart and worth a try (even a blind buy in case of bargains!). Quite close to skin but also quite persistent.

7,5/10