Year: 2009
Notes: bergamot, mandarin, frankincense, pipol, hedione, Bourbon vanilla, guaiac wood, muscenone
Comment: Vanille 44 is the City Exclusive for Paris
Vanille 44 is a straightforward vanilla scent, with smoky, woody and slightly milky attributes.
Beginning with delectable citrus top notes, there's nothing particularly dense about the general aroma – coming across as both natural and sheer in the best possible way. Its structure incorporates subtle touches of jasmine (from the hedione) and an inky facet (courtesy of the pipol) not too dissimilar from Lalique's Encre Noir.
There's also a spiciness that accompanies the guaiac wood but neither are brash, as the vanilla soon becomes engulfed by a synthetic animalic musk accord. Overall, its performance is both low-pitched and tranquil, while it lingers closely to the skin for its entire duration.
With Alberto Morillas at the helm, it's a reassuringly high-quality creation but is extravagantly priced for what is simply a low-key vanillic musk offering. Taking into account that other houses (such as Serge Lutens, Guerlain, Montale, Profumum and even Tom Ford) have already successfully released weightier vanilla renditions at lower price points, Vanille 44 really has its work cut out.
To those who are considering Vanille 44, Mona di Orio's Vanille would make a more rewarding substitute, as it goes along a similar olfactory path but is more substantial, easier to procure and less expensive.
Beginning with delectable citrus top notes, there's nothing particularly dense about the general aroma – coming across as both natural and sheer in the best possible way. Its structure incorporates subtle touches of jasmine (from the hedione) and an inky facet (courtesy of the pipol) not too dissimilar from Lalique's Encre Noir.
There's also a spiciness that accompanies the guaiac wood but neither are brash, as the vanilla soon becomes engulfed by a synthetic animalic musk accord. Overall, its performance is both low-pitched and tranquil, while it lingers closely to the skin for its entire duration.
With Alberto Morillas at the helm, it's a reassuringly high-quality creation but is extravagantly priced for what is simply a low-key vanillic musk offering. Taking into account that other houses (such as Serge Lutens, Guerlain, Montale, Profumum and even Tom Ford) have already successfully released weightier vanilla renditions at lower price points, Vanille 44 really has its work cut out.
To those who are considering Vanille 44, Mona di Orio's Vanille would make a more rewarding substitute, as it goes along a similar olfactory path but is more substantial, easier to procure and less expensive.
