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2nd Collection

L'Heure Exquise Bortnikoff 2018

8.0 / 10 75 Ratings

A popular perfume by Bortnikoff for women and men, released in 2018. The scent is floral-animal. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Floral

Animal

Woody

Spicy

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Cardamom

Neroli

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Champaca

Cocoa

Jasmine sambac

Nagarmotha Camphor

Camphor

Jasminum auriculatum Cedar

Cedar

Champaca leaf Clove

Clove

Myrrh

Base Notes

Styrax

Tolu balm

Ambergris

Indonesian oud

Vietnamese oud

Perfumer & Creative Guidance

Dmitry Bortnikoff Brand owner, Perfume maker

Ratings

Scent

8.075 Ratings

Longevity

8.049 Ratings

Sillage

7.450 Ratings

Bottle

8.450 Ratings

Value for money

6.024 Ratings

Submitted by Carlossp, last update on 11/29/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the 2nd Collection collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

The Lover's Tale

Reviews

11 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/14/2024

6Scent

Kurai
388 Reviews

Kurai

3

Cloves and camphor

It cannot be denied that Bortnikoff offers decent perfumes each with unique and well-composed character. I have had a good time wearing a number of them, but somehow did not really click with any of them. With Amber Cologne and Musk Khabib Extrait de Parfum, I am still on the fence even after several revisits. Oud Monarch Extrait de Parfum has the most mesmerizing florals but lacks some lower-pitched notes. This one, however, is stuffed with low-pitch notes like balsams and resins. On top of that, the choice of florals is really nice. For a moment I thought this may become the one for me.

Right from the start, L'Heure Exquise brings a sense of darkness. Its opening is balsamic with a dry cocoa and a profound oud. The clove is strong but its sharp-spicy edge is somehow softened. The floral notes of champaca and jasmine emerge slow but steady. They are not as mesmerizing as the tropical flowers in Oud Monarch, but interesting the least. Bortnikoff did not hold back on the camphor - an acquired taste to some - which connects the woods and balsams nicely.

While the scent progresses the florals and cocoa fade first, leaving behind a blend of balsams, clove and camphor. That sense of darkness I had only gets stronger. In a warm kind of way, not smoky or anything goth. These notes, I found them so interesting at first but the longer they last the less they captivate me. Knowing that this drydown is going to last for several hours does not help at this point.

So that still leaves me without a Bortnikoff I call mine. I am off to another revisit of Musk Khabib. Maybe I can make up my mind this time.

11/30/2025

7.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

DRKSHDW
129 Reviews

DRKSHDW

2

ANCIENT FOREST CAVE

Oh, this one is bizarre. A lot to take in at once. First of all, this is not a gourmand. Gourmand means “edible,” and nothing about this makes me want to grab a spoon. The cocoa is fleeting and sits on top of this mentholated, earthy, camphoraceous base. If your idea of dessert is a Nutella sandwich with a generous smear of shoe-polish paste… please don’t call this a gourmand. That’s misleading!

My second issue: the oud is probably good, but who can tell? There’s a heavy load of nagarmotha and camphor basically cosplaying as oud. They blend so tightly it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s the stunt double. Also, moss isn’t listed, yet I smell tons of (oak)moss in the base.

This whole thing is a chimera: opens with cocoa-oud facets, then nagarmotha and camphor storm the stage, champaca whispering from somewhere in the shadows, and a whole pile of dark, weird mossy stuff underneath. Unhinged.

At one point, though, the jasmine suddenly becomes very noticeable. Pretty, luminous, with those almost jasmine-tea facets. It’s a surprisingly gentle and elegant moment in an otherwise difficult composition.

I kinda liked the opening. If only the drydown would chill out and let the moss and green swampiness take a back seat, this could’ve been something special. Ambergris shows up later too, reinforcing that damp, mossy cave vibe.

In the deep, deep drydown, it actually redeems itself a bit: the scent turns woody and even a little piney or cedar-y again, with that camphoraceous tone returning, now softened by a sweet resin. The styrax brings in this gentle leathery warmth that’s… honestly kinda nice.

I enjoy camphor, so that part’s fine. The unexpected moss, though? Hmm. I don’t know. Not my favorite. It smells like a dark cave in a forest where something ancient definitely lives.

11/26/2024

WarsticK
12 Reviews

WarsticK

3

Clavo de olor + flores

Cuando era pequeño en el jardín de mi abuela habían muchas flores, en primavera se formaba un aroma hermoso, cuando le dí el primer spray sentí lo mismo que olía en ese jardín, es un conjunto de flores y clavo de olor, nada incisivo ni molesto, le da el toque justo, hecho para los amantes de los perfumes florales bien hechos.

Update: luego de probarlo unos días, fui descubriendo más cosas, en la salida el oud tiene casi todo el protagonismo, inmediatamente después aparece el cacao y las flores que permanecen hasta el final de la fragancia, el clavo de olor es notorio, el oud pasa a un segundo plano, lindo perfume!

12/10/2022

9Scent

BobbyGee
230 Reviews

BobbyGee

2

Champaca oud

Among the best ouds of Dmitryj - "Excellent Hour" was never for me in the top three of his OUD perfumes, because ... it is not a typical "monster of oud".

The perfume is so well blended and with so many different notes that it was hard for me to describe it as an oud perfume. In the very sound as a whole, in my opinion, they are closer to some fragrances created by Prin Lomros and his works in which he perfectly used
some flowers. Dmitryj, like Prin, indirectly performs for me almost a ritual like in a Buddhist temple, enhancing the scent of Far Eastern magnolias - champaca. Maybe these flowers actually cause spiritual enlightenment…who knows.
Due to the variety of ingredients and their perfect mix, it is very hard for me to catch half of these ingredients. The very beginning is easy citrus and fresh, to attack after a while with floral notes with a very large component of white champaca flowers, mixed with wood and balsamic-cocoa oud. In the smell, I also sense a lot of green and sweet-resin notes, which may come from resins or ambergris.

It is definitely a multi-dimensional perfume and hard for me to classify due to the large variety of ingredients and their great mixing. I had a similar experience with another fragrance by Dmitry - Coup de Foudre. Lasts about 8 hours

10/29/2019

10Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Emorandeira
395 Reviews

Emorandeira

Power & intensity

What can i day about such a wonderful perfume! The opening is very intense and dirty, with all these ápices and a very and medicinal noticeable oud. I has on the background this tipical Barn smell which is at the same time diagusting but very addictibe that most oud perfumes have. With the deydown the cocoa, champava and flowers begin yo appear making the fragance a bit less sweet but much nicer and weareable. After one hour the amber gets protagonismo and the fragance is fabulous. It is still Spicy and remember me a lot, even when It is not listed, to the smell of White pepper, maybe because if the mix between the clove and the Jasmine... I would recommend this perfume to all the ápices and strong fragances lovers, although the dry down is much more subtle.

Scent: 9.5
Longevity: 9
Sillage: 8
Originality: 9
Versatility: 5
Quality/price: 5 ( It is expensive but has a very good quality)
Global: 8 5

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