Note di Colonia III Acqua di Parma 2016

The house of Acqua di Parma and its fragrances have always reminded me a bit of a student who is clever but not particularly ambitious - and imbued with the principle of 'maximum output with minimal input.' One who reliably hovers between a 2+ and 2- - without any outliers in either direction. This reflects a high level of consistency - which is good - but I have also missed the upward outliers, no matter how commendable Acqua Colonia remains as a timeless classic.

'To die for' - meltingly beautiful - I had never encountered such a fragrance from Acqua di Parma before, and when I tried Note di Colonia I and II - logically, you start with I, right? It was also on the far left - all the lights immediately settled back to 'somewhere between 2+ and 2-', and my attention was almost more captured by the very pretty bottles (unfortunately, there are only 150 ml bottles at 350 euros) than by their contents. But then came Note di Colonia III, and - what a wonderfully beautiful scent!

Its initial accord is already soothing and possesses a sweetness far beyond what is generally expected (and delivered) from Italian colognes - sensual and alluring, yet serious and without the slightest hint of coyness or triviality. This is the ginger that one might not immediately recognize as such, yet its sweet spiciness gives Note di Colonia III an exciting delicacy and refinement. Other - both additional and different - shades of softness emerge - brittle, yet no less delicious, highly elegant and balanced, jasmine and tonka pleasantly restrained, the resins without any temple or medicinal connotation - never too smoky, never too sweet. And it is, despite its presence, the lack of loudness and self-assertion that makes this fragrance - whose ingredients read quite ordinarily - so unusual and so delightful.

Conclusion: due to its (temporally and spatially) limited availability, I doubt this fragrance will achieve immortality or even modest prominence. Nevertheless - meltingly beautiful!