Vétiver Carven 2008

When I asked the owner at the Drogerie Wittelsbach in Munich (located in the town hall building, directly opposite Brückner) for a good vetiver scent, he immediately handed me the one from Carven and praised its natural class - and he is right. This wonderful fragrance perfectly embodies the saying: "A classic is timeless." I truly do not notice the age of its composition at all.
It starts off very fresh with a green blend of lemon and petitgrain that tickles my nose. Yes, lavender is also present. This fades quite quickly, making way for the orange, which is then noticeably more persistent. But even here, with the orange, I can perceive the vetiver - at this point, however, it is still quite light.
In the heart note, I cannot smell Apicius Iris as I did at the beginning. That typical powdery scent just doesn’t come to me. I can certainly agree with his observation of its "transparent" nature. Does anyone actually know if iris and orris root are used synonymously? Perhaps they are slightly different notes. Be that as it may, from here on, everything becomes beautifully dry and woody for me. I think I can smell cedarwood, and I can sense sandalwood. Then something interesting happens: The scent becomes darker without becoming heavy. For me, it is not at all like the commercially available vetiver, such as in Terre d'Hermes, but rather quite unique with that certain something. It is slightly gnarly and smoky yet still finely balanced. Apicius's explanation with the vetiver oil sounds convincing. I wonder if it might also come a bit from myrrh. If so, that would be the base note, as I believe it is not present here in the traditional sense: It remains with the darkening vetiver, which gives off some of its peaks, becomes a bit rounder, and reliably stays with the wearer throughout the day. A fragrance more suited for sunny but not too warm days and definitely appropriate for the office. By the way, the price-performance ratio is also very good.