48
Top Review
Noble Through Day & Night
Friend Yatagan wonderfully illuminated the history of Le Galion in his comment on the 2014 relaunched fragrance "Whip," and I will continue this here.
Growing up in a family with a long tradition in perfume making, Nicolas Chabot, the current owner of the Le Galion brand, discovered a bottle of this brand in a thrift store a few years ago and began to research with burning curiosity, searching flea markets for more bottles, ultimately deciding to relaunch the brand. The daughter of Paul Vacher - the then owner - was still living in the south of France under a different family name. She had run the company with her father and created the perfume "Megara" in 1978 as a tribute to her father, who passed away in 1975. After his death, she took over the brand, which was later bought by an American corporation, leading to the brand's downfall due to poor management. When Nicolas Chabot finally sat down with Dominique de Urresti, the daughter of Paul Vacher, she joyfully handed him all the existing formulas that she had saved on her computer. The archive of Le Galion reportedly contains 44 old fragrance formulas that could be brought back to the market. Although the brand was sold at that time, the rights to the formulas were not relinquished. She was, of course, present at a first press launch in Paris in the summer of 2014. So much for the history.
When I learned about the relaunch of the brand, I was immediately excited, even though I knew very little. I remember a small bottle of "Sortilège" in my grandmother's bedroom. The opportunity to rediscover the scents of this brand from the most important period of development of the French perfume industry in the 20th century, with the background of this story - even if reformulated - was incredibly thrilling. The stylish brand presence on the internet, the vintage-looking bottles, and the simply elegant white boxes immediately caught my eye. After all, I am just another victim of advertising messages... if they match my taste.
After an initial test, my enthusiasm was somewhat tempered, although I immediately noticed the loving craftsmanship and the unmistakable retro charm of the fragrances positively. There was something honest and fundamentally likable about the brand that I somehow wanted to "support." In times when one niche brand after another is launched with increasingly modern fragrances that often disappoint me, I admired the courage to bring old fragrances back to the market. And even though there is a small group of lovers of old fragrances, it is certainly smaller in Germany than in the motherland of perfume art: France.
Above all, however, I was immediately captivated by "Eau Noble," whose very natural fresh character with juicy cool citrus notes and a herby woody green heart, accompanied by a bit of gently warm moss and this excellently light leathery smoke in the base, reminds me of a kind of rich "vintage Eau Sauvage" to an airy interpretation of Bernard Chant's leather fragrances like "Azurée." In the accurate reduction of the fragrance formula, I also come back to "Eau Sauvage," which seems to be inspired by the clarity of thought of Edmond Roudnitska... although Bernard Chant for Lauder and Aramis is also not far off. But even Paul Vacher's former fragrances were often not overly grand operas when one considers the other relaunched feminine soliflore fragrances from Le Galion. "Essence Noble" is now a more concentrated variant of the fragrance "Eau Noble," also declared as Eau de Parfum. With it, "Sortilège Elixir" and a completely new fragrance under the name "Sovereign" were launched.
The citrus-fresh start of "Essence Noble" is invigorating and bright, but also wonderfully round, gentle, full, and soft - accompanied by a minimal sweetness of mandarin - and is complemented by a strong animal facet that reveals a delightful and not too subtle vintage character. God, this is great, it has class. In comparison, the start of "Eau Noble" is more robust and angular. The heart of the fragrance is characterized by herby woody deep green sage and bitter warm moss, although apparently not a single drop of real oak moss found its way into the formula. From here, an elegantly dark olive-green aura radiates, brightened with strong splashes of juicy bright gold-yellow and warmly surrounded by gentle brown. The heart note seems almost identical to the regular "Eau Noble." The base, on the other hand, offers all the pleasure and is complemented by balsamically warm styrax resin, cedar may contribute a dry woody note, patchouli releases the earthy scent of its nature, and probably isobutyl quinoline (a commonly used raw material for leather fragrances) is responsible for this divinely dark, cozy, and corporeal noble leather smoke that envelops the entire ensemble. The base in "Essence Noble" seems to me less angular and rough in contrast to "Eau Noble" - appearing even more stylish - and rather releases evening qualities in its whole sun-warmed and rich fullness.
There remains the aura of a stylishly round and comfortably warm citrus scent - which I find excellently described with bright warm gold-yellow - and a rather reserved herby green heart, followed by a dominant gently smoky and elegantly animal leather base, with a slight nod to the classic Aramis. The quality of the raw materials used seems very high and natural to me. Throughout the day, the fragrance repeatedly rises through my shirt collar; the longevity seems excellent. The sillage, on the other hand, is rather private and not loud, radiating a casually elegant calm, which seems to fit better with the claim of an "Extrait." I find it perfect. In contrast, the projection of "Eau Noble" initially seems louder... as far as one can say that about this fragrance... because its cooler green and almost "angular" aura seems (also due to the price) better suited for everyday business, but it also gives up a bit faster.
"Essence Noble" and also "Eau Noble" will likely appeal more to those who have a clear preference for old fragrances, and - even though I do not like all the fragrances from this brand - I would at least like to recommend everyone to test this charming brand. I think it is worth it. One should be cautious with prophecies, but with these two noble waters "je vais rester fidèle."
Growing up in a family with a long tradition in perfume making, Nicolas Chabot, the current owner of the Le Galion brand, discovered a bottle of this brand in a thrift store a few years ago and began to research with burning curiosity, searching flea markets for more bottles, ultimately deciding to relaunch the brand. The daughter of Paul Vacher - the then owner - was still living in the south of France under a different family name. She had run the company with her father and created the perfume "Megara" in 1978 as a tribute to her father, who passed away in 1975. After his death, she took over the brand, which was later bought by an American corporation, leading to the brand's downfall due to poor management. When Nicolas Chabot finally sat down with Dominique de Urresti, the daughter of Paul Vacher, she joyfully handed him all the existing formulas that she had saved on her computer. The archive of Le Galion reportedly contains 44 old fragrance formulas that could be brought back to the market. Although the brand was sold at that time, the rights to the formulas were not relinquished. She was, of course, present at a first press launch in Paris in the summer of 2014. So much for the history.
When I learned about the relaunch of the brand, I was immediately excited, even though I knew very little. I remember a small bottle of "Sortilège" in my grandmother's bedroom. The opportunity to rediscover the scents of this brand from the most important period of development of the French perfume industry in the 20th century, with the background of this story - even if reformulated - was incredibly thrilling. The stylish brand presence on the internet, the vintage-looking bottles, and the simply elegant white boxes immediately caught my eye. After all, I am just another victim of advertising messages... if they match my taste.
After an initial test, my enthusiasm was somewhat tempered, although I immediately noticed the loving craftsmanship and the unmistakable retro charm of the fragrances positively. There was something honest and fundamentally likable about the brand that I somehow wanted to "support." In times when one niche brand after another is launched with increasingly modern fragrances that often disappoint me, I admired the courage to bring old fragrances back to the market. And even though there is a small group of lovers of old fragrances, it is certainly smaller in Germany than in the motherland of perfume art: France.
Above all, however, I was immediately captivated by "Eau Noble," whose very natural fresh character with juicy cool citrus notes and a herby woody green heart, accompanied by a bit of gently warm moss and this excellently light leathery smoke in the base, reminds me of a kind of rich "vintage Eau Sauvage" to an airy interpretation of Bernard Chant's leather fragrances like "Azurée." In the accurate reduction of the fragrance formula, I also come back to "Eau Sauvage," which seems to be inspired by the clarity of thought of Edmond Roudnitska... although Bernard Chant for Lauder and Aramis is also not far off. But even Paul Vacher's former fragrances were often not overly grand operas when one considers the other relaunched feminine soliflore fragrances from Le Galion. "Essence Noble" is now a more concentrated variant of the fragrance "Eau Noble," also declared as Eau de Parfum. With it, "Sortilège Elixir" and a completely new fragrance under the name "Sovereign" were launched.
The citrus-fresh start of "Essence Noble" is invigorating and bright, but also wonderfully round, gentle, full, and soft - accompanied by a minimal sweetness of mandarin - and is complemented by a strong animal facet that reveals a delightful and not too subtle vintage character. God, this is great, it has class. In comparison, the start of "Eau Noble" is more robust and angular. The heart of the fragrance is characterized by herby woody deep green sage and bitter warm moss, although apparently not a single drop of real oak moss found its way into the formula. From here, an elegantly dark olive-green aura radiates, brightened with strong splashes of juicy bright gold-yellow and warmly surrounded by gentle brown. The heart note seems almost identical to the regular "Eau Noble." The base, on the other hand, offers all the pleasure and is complemented by balsamically warm styrax resin, cedar may contribute a dry woody note, patchouli releases the earthy scent of its nature, and probably isobutyl quinoline (a commonly used raw material for leather fragrances) is responsible for this divinely dark, cozy, and corporeal noble leather smoke that envelops the entire ensemble. The base in "Essence Noble" seems to me less angular and rough in contrast to "Eau Noble" - appearing even more stylish - and rather releases evening qualities in its whole sun-warmed and rich fullness.
There remains the aura of a stylishly round and comfortably warm citrus scent - which I find excellently described with bright warm gold-yellow - and a rather reserved herby green heart, followed by a dominant gently smoky and elegantly animal leather base, with a slight nod to the classic Aramis. The quality of the raw materials used seems very high and natural to me. Throughout the day, the fragrance repeatedly rises through my shirt collar; the longevity seems excellent. The sillage, on the other hand, is rather private and not loud, radiating a casually elegant calm, which seems to fit better with the claim of an "Extrait." I find it perfect. In contrast, the projection of "Eau Noble" initially seems louder... as far as one can say that about this fragrance... because its cooler green and almost "angular" aura seems (also due to the price) better suited for everyday business, but it also gives up a bit faster.
"Essence Noble" and also "Eau Noble" will likely appeal more to those who have a clear preference for old fragrances, and - even though I do not like all the fragrances from this brand - I would at least like to recommend everyone to test this charming brand. I think it is worth it. One should be cautious with prophecies, but with these two noble waters "je vais rester fidèle."
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18 Comments
I will also take my time to carefully read the brochure the company sent me about Turandot.
Thank you for this comment.