Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905, in the Norman coastal town of 'Granville' and spent his childhood there. The town, located on a rocky cape, owes its name to the noble Grant family. The former villa "Les Rhumbs" of the Dior family - where Christian Dior apparently still lived later - can now be visited as a museum. The garden, in particular, is said to be worth a visit, although I have unfortunately not been there yet. Francois Demachy likely found inspiration for this fragrance in the many pines that surround the villa, the garden, and the town.
"Granville" quickly reveals its heart in the fragrance journey with concentrated ethereal notes of pine, thyme, and rosemary, which are embedded in a herbaceous woody, fresh invigorating, and slightly green aromatic manner, permanently shaping the scent. It feels wonderfully natural and conjures up images of small apothecary bottles filled with essential oils before my eyes. The clear, sparkling scent of lemons is also noticeable, perhaps accompanied by a hint of sweet mandarin. The concentrated ethereal oils give "Granville" a medicinal character, reminding me of rheumatism ointment or other health-promoting creams, which I find to be an amusing idea for a fragrance, especially when it is so dominant. It clears my head, is refreshing and invigorating, and can even awaken sleepy spirits in the morning. At the same time, it feels very cheerful, carefree, and happy. "He's got mischief in his neck," one might exclaim, and even Horst Schlämmer's "I've got back, sweetheart" might not be far from thought.
Although the green aromatic trio continuously defines the fragrance, it quickly receives soothing relaxation in the base from woody soft and slightly creamy sandalwood, a hint of slightly bitter oak moss, and a small invigorating rough note that seems - let's say - almost salty to me; could that be the black pepper? The sandalwood especially softens the medicinal character, making "Granville" calmer, softer, and excellently long-lasting on the skin. A bit of moss brings a classic touch with a hint of 'Chypre.' The salty/peppery note, on the other hand, lends the fragrance a modern feel with its airy freshness and rough clarity, perfectly matching the stormy, windy, and robust nature of Normandy. The sun is shining, I stand relaxed in the garden of the Dior villa, looking down over the cliffs at the sea, and the fresh spring wind boldly and heartily blows the spray into my face, freeing my thoughts. My cashmere sweater in the color 'sandalwood' wraps me protectively.
For such a fresh fragrance, "Granville" is very well lasting and wafts up through my shirt collar throughout the day; I am thrilled. I find the quality of the ingredients used to be excellent and densely woven, as if the oils could be grasped, as if they were tangible to me. I can't get enough; I repeatedly have the desire to capture and smell the fragrance to enjoy its fresh green ethereal woody and softly creamy shimmering character. Although it is modern, it feels familiar and comforting, almost giving me a sense of mental security, as the idea of coniferous fragrances is not new, and 'Pino Silvestre' or 'Agua Brava' come to mind. But these old men's fragrances were darker and smokier, conveying more Mediterranean charm than Norman freshness - one can still enjoy a Mediterranean summer with "Granville" - and had more masculine strength. "Granville" is much fresher, lighter, and clearer - and far from the term 'women's fragrance' - and leads me more in the direction of the wonderful Edmond Roudnitska, whose subtly airy fragrances for Dior seem to me to be most closely related to the equally optimistically airy "Granville." All fragrances exude this understated and relaxed cheerfulness. Although the fragrance formulas appear short, these scents shimmer subtly and almost bohemian casually back and forth, allowing for new discoveries and never boring me. I am so glad that I finally bought it; this year's spring is a perfect match.
Top Notes 
Lemon
Mandarin orange
Heart Notes 
Thyme
Rosemary
Pine
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Black pepper
Hermesh
oldhunter
Seta
Schalkerin
FrauKirsche
Melisse2
JonasP1
Greenfan1701
Parma
Bloodxclat
