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Windswept, phenolic, sugary-spicy-herbal amber
One of the most satisfying fragrances I own. Like Dior's Mitzah, Tom Ford's Amber Absolute, the Contre Bombarde 32, and Bois 1920's own Real Patchouly, Vento nel Vento blurs the lines between amber, incense, spices, and woods, making it rather difficult to pin down. Which is exactly what I like about it. It is not ground-breaking stuff. But it is a good kitchen-sink of a thing that's absolutely perfect for when you feel like wearing something oriental-ish without condemning yourself to a full day of enough straight-up amber to put you in a sugar coma or, worse, a monastic incense that feels like a hair shirt by dinnertime. This gives you everything rolled into one - amber, resin, smoke, spice, sugar, patchouli - boom! And you're done.
The opening is all about balmy, dark frankincense paired and smoky labdanum resin, lifted by a thyme or rosemary note that makes me want to bite my arm. The herb is phenolic, like smoke rising off a tar pit, making me think of the burning thyme note at the top of Interlude Man. I don't get any of the listed peony or pink pepper notes, thank God. Although it is not sweet at this point, the smoke and herbs are balanced out by a smooth, round element that I can't define exactly but adds a toothsome, edible quality. Perhaps it is the lemony cream of the elemi resin. But it almost reads like soft black licorice vines, the mild ones perched precisely between sweet and salty and whose major selling point is their satisfying yield as you bite into them. Vento nel Vento gives good chew.
The slightly tarry, smoky labdanum stretches out into the heart, and as the thyme and frankincense taper off, it is joined by a smooth amber and patchouli. It's at this stage that I'm most reminded of Mitzah and Real Patchouly, because they share something of this honeyed, labdanum-driven amber accord, its golden clarity given depth by the bittersweet, earthy patchouli.
There is a small touch of oud in the heart, enough to give it an interesting sourness that smacks of wood chips and herbs soaked in water before distilling. The oud note is very subtle and natural-smelling here - no harsh, synthetic off notes at all. Indeed, one of the things I appreciate the most about Vento ne Vento is just how natural it smells to me. Another thing I appreciate is its round, creamy feel. Often incensey ambers or ambery incenses ruin the effect by having one element stick out too much, such as a too-sharp herbal note or an overload of vanilla. In Vento nel Vento, the whole is perfectly round, smooth, and integrated. It is complex, but so perfectly blended that no one note catches at your skin like a forgotten clothes pin.
The opening is all about balmy, dark frankincense paired and smoky labdanum resin, lifted by a thyme or rosemary note that makes me want to bite my arm. The herb is phenolic, like smoke rising off a tar pit, making me think of the burning thyme note at the top of Interlude Man. I don't get any of the listed peony or pink pepper notes, thank God. Although it is not sweet at this point, the smoke and herbs are balanced out by a smooth, round element that I can't define exactly but adds a toothsome, edible quality. Perhaps it is the lemony cream of the elemi resin. But it almost reads like soft black licorice vines, the mild ones perched precisely between sweet and salty and whose major selling point is their satisfying yield as you bite into them. Vento nel Vento gives good chew.
The slightly tarry, smoky labdanum stretches out into the heart, and as the thyme and frankincense taper off, it is joined by a smooth amber and patchouli. It's at this stage that I'm most reminded of Mitzah and Real Patchouly, because they share something of this honeyed, labdanum-driven amber accord, its golden clarity given depth by the bittersweet, earthy patchouli.
There is a small touch of oud in the heart, enough to give it an interesting sourness that smacks of wood chips and herbs soaked in water before distilling. The oud note is very subtle and natural-smelling here - no harsh, synthetic off notes at all. Indeed, one of the things I appreciate the most about Vento ne Vento is just how natural it smells to me. Another thing I appreciate is its round, creamy feel. Often incensey ambers or ambery incenses ruin the effect by having one element stick out too much, such as a too-sharp herbal note or an overload of vanilla. In Vento nel Vento, the whole is perfectly round, smooth, and integrated. It is complex, but so perfectly blended that no one note catches at your skin like a forgotten clothes pin.