#S Nasengold 2013

Putting together a mixtape with favorite songs, getting into the car, rolling down the windows, turning up the music, and singing along while cruising down country roads. Squinting into the sun, letting my elbow hang out the window, and just driving on - to Patagonia or anywhere else. Quitting my job and opening an ice cream parlor in Istanbul or an espresso bar in Düsseldorf. Buying too many shoes or perfumes and going on vacation too often. Maximizing leisure time and telling everyone: “I don’t care, I’m just doing this now!”. Laughing out loud and being present. Just enjoying life!

The Nasengold, as I like to call Raute S, the first fragrance from the relatively young Hamburg-based label “Nasengold” by Christian Plesch, is simply fun. Raute S brings me joy. Just as cheerful and buoyant as the fragrance itself, it transforms me. It happens quite simply, automatically, and without pretension. I flip through the day and the air, jumping over continents into the sky and back again. This is possible with Nasengold, and so the opening of Raute S is sparkling, full of summer, and has room to breathe. Free and unconventional. Here, the air vibrates and the champagne corks pop. From now on, it’s time to celebrate!

Indeed, Nasengold immediately smells distinctly of the note around which the entire composition seems to be built: Lie de Vin. Lie de Vin is essentially a wood-aged wine yeast, as used in the production of cognac, and has likely been used in perfumery for a long time in very small doses. However, Raute S contains not just a small hint of it; this yeasty-fruity note runs like a red thread through the entire composition. It is the center, the foundation, and the ground of the fragrance. At first, sparkling and effervescent, it spreads good cheer in combination with a citrus component, the ethereal spice of pepper and ginger, and the fruity bittersweetness of grapefruit. I have rarely experienced a fragrance that has such presence and spreads such a friendly exuberant atmosphere within the first few seconds of spraying. It encourages a playful attitude without coming off as flat. The top note almost vibrates and bubbles like the little bubbles in Prosecco. Here, I find the wine yeast as a fragrance note most present throughout the entire scent journey. Beneath the sparkling-vibrating surface of the top note, it lays as an underlying fermenting bass tone, which spontaneously reminds me of “Pulp” by Byredo, only in a light and relaxed way. This gives the bright-sparkling joy of the first seconds a slight weight, providing the top note with substance, so that it never veers into hysteria.

As the fragrance develops, the grapefruit becomes more prominent in interplay with a rather background rose accord that appears slightly soapy and very fresh, making the fragrance overall a bit calmer and softer. I find Raute S to be rather smooth yet still unique and extraordinary. It has character and is headstrong, but never becomes annoying or harsh. Raute S doesn’t take sharp turns or twist in odd ways. The fermenting bass tone doesn’t fray or spread out. It provides a framework, generous yet clearly defined. The contour of the fragrance is surely also due to what I consider the brilliant use of Iso E Super in the base. Very soft and fluffy, withdrawn yet intimate, the fragrance remains dense and clearly defined towards the end. Iso E Super, for me, is a clear, refined, and almost overly intellectual note that wafts over the skin more as a warm dark-woody aura than as a distinct perfume effect, steadily fading and then flaring up again. In Raute S, Iso E Super is finely integrated, not standing out explicitly, yet preventing the fragrance from slipping into the ordinary. The molecule gives the perfume a contemporary modernity. Not necessarily youthful, but still a bit fashionable, a touch of haute couture, and a hint of punk. Sometimes this impression flattens out, other times it comes back to life. Thus, the only downside of the fragrance for me is its rather subdued sillage and only average longevity. On me, Raute S lasts about 5-7 hours, but in the last hours, it becomes so close to the skin that I have difficulty perceiving the scent. But sometimes it retreats, as mentioned, and sometimes it comes back to life. Nasengold does what it wants.

And so the label also understands itself, according to its own homepage: unconventional, spontaneous, and full of joy for life. A statement that I find absolutely authentic and credible, in contrast to the artificially cobbled-together marketing talk about “staying dirty.” I believe Mr. Plesch on this, and Raute S conveys this as well. At this point, Raute S also reminds me of one of my, if not my absolute favorite fragrance: Bosque by Humiecki & Graef. The fragrance house is known for its concept that each of its perfumes is dedicated to a specific human emotion. And with Bosque, it’s satisfaction. Bosque smells to me like what was and what will be. Like being arrived and balanced, like harmony and contentment. And Bosque achieves this through the interplay of fruity-spicy and balancing warm yet grounding bitter notes. While Bosque radiates and evokes a warm satisfaction for me, Raute S is more about the exuberant joy of life. Similar feelings, one time a bit calmer and another time a bit more dynamic, but still similar. Both perfumes also share the intention of wanting to convey exactly these feelings and the fact that they actually succeed in doing so. One is the concept behind the fragrance, and the other is making this concept perceivable and experiential. This has been wonderfully achieved here.

And tomorrow, I will be buying a bottle of Nasengold first, then making a mixtape and driving off...