Le Loden Jacques Fath 2018

The scent is green, but so different from the green fragrances I have encountered before. It is not the magical green of ‘Ninfeo Mio’. No delicate spring green and no summer sun green. Not the milky fig leaf green of ‘Ichnusa’. Not the lightly wilted salad green of ‘Panorama’ and also not the favorite leather hay green of ‘Irish Leather’.

Le Loden starts off intensely dry and smoky. It’s hard to get more vetiver than this. A strict, dark olive green, interspersed with gray-green streaks and dry smoke. A deciduous forest floor in winter, with smoke swirling between lifeless dark trees.

But then the seasons seem to move backwards. The deep dark gray-green slowly develops warmer nuances. Life timidly begins to emerge in the forest. Autumn is slowly approaching. Spicy wood resin notes and nearby, stubble fields are being burned. Juniper and pink peppercorns have those typical resinous notes, and there’s a hint of sweetness, perhaps it’s the geranium. Towards the end, the scent becomes softer and more reconciliatory. Ylang-ylang fortunately does not come through; it actually serves only subtly as a counterbalance to patchouli and tobacco. And still, vetiver. For hours. A mature, contemplative green that Yatagan might appreciate...