Ginepro Nero L'Erbolario 2016 Profumo

For me, Ginepro Nero - a scent of the L'Erbolario house, often associated with natural products and located in northern Italy - is an example of how you can always find small, hidden treasures that have sometimes fallen (too) quickly into the category "so similarly already smelled" and then unfortunately often disappear under the radar. In the case of Ginepro Nero, this is particularly true because the general fragrance by which it is often measured has been thwarted by a more or less iconic hype of the 2000s - Terre d'Hermès. But I would like to take this as an opportunity to describe why I think Ginepro Nero is a valuable interpretation of the theme with an interesting character.

If you want to derive the Italian fragrance in the matt black bottle from more well-known fragrances, imagine Ginepro Nero in a triangle whose outer points are formed by Terre d'Hermès EdT, Terre d'Hermès EdP and Montale Red Vetiver. In general one could say that Ginepro Nero is a bit more on the Hermès side and a bit closer to Terre d'Hermès EdP, but this would not capture the picture completely. If you look at the fragrance in a more differentiated way, you can sense isolated images of Hermès' EdT, which, however, are oriented towards the deeper basic tone of the EdP and at least in part have been translated into citrus notes that tend towards the Montale, but are somewhat more moderate and bitter. After this very rough classification on the basis of the mentioned references, I would like to say that L'Erbolario is by no means a perfumed equivalent to Dolly the (clone-)sheep, but a fragrance, which can be recognized as a well-founded concept and made with devotion.

Those who do not know the fragrances mentioned above should not imagine the citrus notes as a typical, citrus-fresh fragrance. The bitter orange it contains is flanked by grapefruit peel and, in combination with bergamot, forms a rather tart citrus component that is cleverly interwoven with the other types of fragrance. The juniper berry is particularly present in the heart note, but without playing a solo role. The cedar merges seamlessly into the overall woody composition and thus ties in with the natural vetiver in the base note, which, together with subtle oak moss and a hint of patchouli, complements the blend with greenish and earthy tones without appearing musty. Elemi resin and benzoin complete the picture with deep, resinous notes and moderately tuned pepper, which contributes to the overall fresh, spicy portions.

Measured against a realistic expected value, the quality of the blend is remarkable. With Ginepro Nero, L'Erbolario doesn't quite come close to what the high-priced niche is partly able to achieve, but clearly leaves behind the often somewhat unloving average performance of some renowned designers. For a fragrance in this segment I am (very) positively surprised.

At the end there is a dark, woody- citric juniper scent with depth and character. Since the "dark" aspects of fragrances in particular are often somewhat subjective and difficult to describe, I try to express the associations as pictorially as possible. Strictly speaking, Ginepro Nero does not appear dark, but rather like soft light in the dark. Comparable perhaps with moonlight, which lies like a coat on the silhouettes of the night. However, not quite so cold and in blue white, but rather a little warmer and in soft tones of terracotta and vermilion. I like it a lot.

PS: Last but not least, the most objective indication possible that the fragrance will probably not meet all requirements. From a purely demographic point of view, I would say that it tends to be a Ü30 fragrance (which you can probably also wear in your mid-20s). If you already have the complete Hermès portfolio on your shelf, you don't necessarily need Ginepro Nero and if you couldn't get anything out of the general Terre d'Hermès "Vibe", you can probably skip it.

Personally I like the scent very much :)