Acqua Santa by Linari

*****
Year: 2010

Notes: Sicilian bergamot, blackcurrant, coriander, green leaves, lily of the valley, cyclamen, rose, ylang-ylang, wild jasmine, Javanese patchouli, caramel, cedar, tonka bean, musk
This is the first Maurice Roucel creation for Linari and, while it appears to be more substantial than most of this house's offerings, it still remains underwhelming.

Based on the listed notes, Acqua Santa seems to be a floral-gourmand but its performance is rather confusing (especially during it initial stages). With a sweet bergamot opening, the candied florals simply fail to distinguish themselves. Instead, these notes smell more akin to jammy tropical fruits with a lingering citrus accord. Maybe one's nose has been deceived but it's most definitely a fruity aroma by this point.

On route towards the drydown, a caramel accord suddenly appears but it feels a little out of place. Things then take a drastic turn for the worst when a slightly harsh cedar note abruptly announces itself. Like the rest of the composition, these two accords perform discordantly and fail to convince. In addition, a caustic green note also haphazardly reappears, throughout it's development, for no justifiable reason.

With a very timid tonka bean and musk base, its average longevity is one of the best from this house. However, one still can't help feeling that Acqua Santa's muddled, and slightly synthetic, nature isn't worth even a fraction of its retail price.


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