Essenze - Mediterranean Neroli 2015 Eau de Toilette

Unterholz
30.07.2020 - 10:20 AM
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7
Bottle
5
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent

Colonia mediterranea

In a St. Gallen department store in the grab box I found this Mediterranean Neroli and there I did not have to think long. I had already tried it before; one of the better ones of the Essence series. A tester was also still there and with that it convinced me completely. Meanwhile I find it really good, but on the skin alone it is a little thin. Applied on skin AND textile it looks much denser. That can sometimes make the difference
Some of Zegna's essence(s) seem a bit artificial in the base, so I don't exactly break out into storms of joy with them. A trend, which is not reversible even in the (price-wise) upscale perfumery. This is due to the new IFRA guidelines, but in the end it doesn't always have to be a loss of quality. After all, there are many brands that deliberately play with molecular magic (Escentric Molecules, Pierre Guillaume, Comme des Garçons, etc.) and yet still manage to convince. Med. Neroli on the other hand is very traditional and naturalistic. It is remarkable how the unknown perfumer has succeeded in creating such a fine and unobtrusive staging of Mediterranean landscape(s).

In the centre is clearly Neroli, the flower of the bitter orange tree. The bitter orange blossom is tart, less sweet and lovely than the sweet orange blossom. One gets the impression that petitgrain (leaves of various citrus fruits) still resonates and is greening. Rosemary, lavender and mint also contribute to the image of tangy green flowing plant juices. I recognize bergamot in particular, which fits perfectly into the bitter picture here. At this point I realize: these are all ingredients that make up an Eau de Cologne, in fact Med. Neroli opens with a wonderful cologne accord. Except that Neroli, normally found in a cologne rather at the base (if one can speak of one at such a short-lived pleasure), is immediately present here. Strengthened and juicy accentuated by the mentioned petitgrain.

For me, Med. Neroli is and remains a very potent Eau de Cologne during its course, whose individual parts gain in depth of focus through fine balancing. It is as if the fragrances complement each other ideally here, they are in discourse with each other. Harmony - and yet individual parts remain recognisable. What makes this "cologne" a Mediterranean experience is the skilful integration of lavender and cypress, the latter evoking a gentle image of a Tuscan landscape with soft hills and cypress or pine groves.

I cannot understand the base mentioned in the pyramid in this way. Once again. I don't register Ambroxan, which usually irritates me reliably. Musk sounds plausible at best, although it may enhance the described scent. But to want to recognize a real basis in Med. Neroli is in my opinion not necessary. The fragrance development stops with the heart phase and that suits me, because the durability is really good for such a light perfume (EdT), on my skin after all up to 7 hours
All in all a successful Neroli interpretation, modern by its simplicity and at the same time wonderfully familiar with its Cologne references.
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