Dolce Passione Pantheon 2016

Wow! What a scrumptious, well-made, sensual, multilayered gourmand dream this is.

It smells like an expensive praliné made of dark chocolate and a fruity, slightly boozy filling of strawberry, cherry and plum. A beautiful honey note sweetens it up, while saffron adds the tiniest hint of spicy sharpness. Vanilla, of course, makes the drydown smooth and warm. The chocolate is so dark and cacao-heavy that it almost smells like coffee at first, the fruit dry down to a deep plum jam. And then the truffle note emerges and adds a mysterious earthy touch to the scent.
The fragrance lasts forever and you can sense all the notes until the far drydown.

I was really sceptical if I would like this. Honey sometimes turns weird on my skin, and chocolate fragrances often have a cheap, candle-like waxiness to my nose. I'm also not a fan of gourmands that are too literal and edible, I prefer them a little more blended and perfumey. But all my worries were unnecessary. This is more than a simple foody scent, the honey note is nice and clean and there is nothing waxy about this. Some enthusiastic reviews drew me in to try it, and I'm really glad I did.
Dolce Passione is something special.