Chyprette Annette Neuffer 2020

I must confess, I am, or rather: I was always a bit skeptical about natural perfumes, but the scents from Annette Neuffer have taught me otherwise.
It's not that the fragrances from health food stores or organic shops are bad. No, not at all. My stepmother was a reform specialist and occasionally wore a perfume that smelled wonderfully of oranges. However, it only smelled of oranges. It was, well, very natural, but that was it.
From a perfume, however, I expect a bit more: inspiration, an interesting composition, refinement, richness in facets and contrasts, and perhaps a little flirtation with delicate animal notes.
All of this, and much more, is offered by the fragrances of Annette Neuffer. They are rich scents that tend towards opulence but do not overflow. The long ingredient lists might suggest a cacophonous jumble, but far from it: the Neuffer fragrances are centered, they have a theme.
Even in the naming, it becomes clear in this case: Chypre. Why the feminine suffix 'ette', like in Chansonette, or also as a diminutive form like in Sandelette, was added - I do not know. 'Chyprette' is neither particularly feminine, nor small for that matter.

Since the theme 'Chypre' in today's, oak moss-uncertain times is a bit of a tricky subject, which can be answered in various ways and is quite fluid, I was curious how Annette Neuffer would approach the topic.

Well, she takes a rather classic approach: bergamot, a floral heart, oak moss, and labdanum in the base - everything that the chypre heart desires!
Well, at least almost everything, because a bit more is certainly allowed, as the mentioned ingredients are initially just the backbone of a classic chypre fragrance, its framework. To give it fullness and 'flesh', Annette Neuffer unfolds a whole kaleidoscope, a Neuffer kaleidoscope, because her olfactory fingerprint, the DNA that runs through all her - known to me - fragrances (which is something to develop!), can also be found here.

When you spray the fragrance, a warm, balsamic-earthy chypre sound unfolds instantly, from which the fruity aroma of bitter orange initially peeks out quite clearly. While in 'Mitsouko' it is the peach aldehyde C-14, here the bitter-juicy orange note forms the complementary counterpart to the damp, woody, mossy lichen - a classic trick of Jacques Guerlain, contrasting bitter-earthy notes with fruity ones, albeit with those that also bring bitter components, like the peach with its bitter skin. Others later chose plum, Annette Neuffer, on the other hand, prefers the bitter orange she likes to use frequently. The result works excellently and gives the fragrance a stable framework: a tension-filled contrast on one hand, but also forming a unity like Yin and Yang.

The floral bouquet blooming in the heart notes takes on a significant role in the composition, but remains clearly integrated into the overall event. None of the numerous flowers dances a solo here, which is a bit of a shame, as I believe I know how jasmine, rose, iris, and osmanthus smell, but I am not familiar with the scent of boronia (coral flowers) and coffee blossom. Yes, even the sunflower is listed by Annette Neuffer here, which surprises me a bit, as I have never perceived this wonderful flower as fragrant.
I would love to work my way through the note thicket, pushing aside those I am familiar with to reach those that seem unknown to me, but I cannot - the note jungle is too dense.
This density is a characteristic of 'Chyprette': all notes are closely interwoven, seamlessly interlock, and flow in a calm, broad stream.
Just like the fruity-bitter top notes, the balsamic-warm and earthy base permeates the blooming heart and envelops it with a deep cello tone. Everything rests on this soft, resinous, ink-like moist labdanum-oak moss cushion.

How Annette Neuffer managed this with the moss is a mystery to me. She surely did not use a synthetic substitute, and on her website, she explicitly points out the "naturally occurring allergens in essential oils".
Presumably a "low atranol" oak moss then. In any case, 'Chyprette' smells so wonderfully reminiscent of the good old oak moss-blessed times that it is a true celebration - a chypre celebration!
Sure, the new patchouli chypres like 'Kintsugi' or 'Eau Capitale' smell great and in a novel way also very chypre-like, if one can get into them. But "the real thing" is and remains the classic variant, at least for me. In the new patchouli chypres, I miss warmth and sensuality. They seem more static, cooler, and more brittle. In contrast, the classic, and in this case also rich bergamot-labdanum-oak moss sound - one would just want to sink into it!

Some interesting additions should not go unmentioned, although they appear more as choir members than as soloists: At the beginning, there are absinthe, chamomile, angelica, and violet leaf. An aromatic quartet with fresh green sprinkles that accompanies the fruity-bitter opening with a soft hum. In the depths, it is tobacco, ambrette seeds, cypriol, sandalwood, and cedar that together take on the darker choral part, so to speak the baritone section. They complement the entire, rather modern-styled choral work of the fragrance, extending beyond the classic main theme.

Finally, fine animalic streaks weave through the dark base and give it a subtle erotic touch, so delicate that I can hardly take my nose off my wrist: just inhaling this luscious, deep dark elixir - that would be it!

After several hours of the finest chypre bliss, the fragrance then retreats to the skin, where it can still be traced for a long time.

And for those who still haven't had enough: Da capo, the whole thing from the beginning!

Absolutely.