Black Gold Mancera 2017

Oh man... how is one supposed to write a reasonable comment, be unbiased, when my girlfriend, while spraying, immediately calls from the other end of the sofa, "that's a women's scent";-)?!
I'll try anyway;-)! Yes, with Mancera Dilemma, I meant that there are countless fragrances, nice and good fragrances from this brand, but none have really convinced me sustainably so far. For me, it's a typical 7.5-8.5 brand, meaning successful and pleasant, but no standout. Another drawback is that they have the same basic touch as the Montale fragrances. So at some point, you stop testing because there's no more Aha effect, or you're biased... like I am right now;-)! Black Gold has quite a few ingredients for above-average success. Yes, the always very similar name and the associated confusion risk is another topic. The portfolio has simply become quite overwhelming, and with that, I would like to conclude my negative criticism.
Let's get to the essentials. The top note can score points right away and is, alongside the base, the most beautiful phase of the fragrance. Zesty citrus notes, full of nature and freshness, combined with warm-spicy notes like cinnamon and oud. The cinnamon comes across subtly sweet and valuable, has nothing to do with Big Red gum or Müller cinnamon rice pudding, it could have been stolen from Lillipur. The oud also presents itself very nicely, being more woody-balsamic than animalic and gnarly... and is more of a scent shadow that beautifully rounds off the whole without weighing down the fragrance or overpowering it.
I can recognize lavender and jasmine quite well in the heart note, after about 10 minutes. Right there, the fragrance tips into the feminine-sweet and becomes a bit "pampy," meaning the airy lightness and freshness of the first minutes has unfortunately more or less completely vanished. The so-called "marine notes" don't help anymore, which unfortunately come across as typical shower gel freshness and probably originate from the in-house blue line. For me, the finesse and balance are unfortunately gone. The balsamic, warm notes do not harmonize with the aquatic, fresh, and cool notes. Probably intended as a contrast and tension arc, it creates a disharmony for me and thus no longer feels cohesive.
I also imagine it quite difficult to wear, as the warm-cold mix somehow doesn't fit well into any season. For everyday life and the office, it's too intense, and for going out, it's not extraordinary enough. Ideally, it would be on the sofa on a biting cold autumn or winter evening.
The surprisingly beautiful base note then reconciles again. The fruit sugar is dissolved, the men's sport shower gel long gone down the drain, the flowers wilted and disposed of, revealing a wonderfully creamy-balsamic-musky-woody base that can easily compete with my base reference Endymion.

Conclusion: Top note 9.0 - Heart note 6.0 - Base 9.0 averages to 8.0, but for me, the tendency is more towards 7.5.
The longevity is very good at 7-8 hours, the sillage is clearly above average throughout the wearing duration, except for the base. This Mancera fragrance pleases me significantly more than much of the previous range, but due to the middle part, it won't make it into my collection; the Blue Aoud touch simply doesn't appeal to me... again.