Chypre Palatin Parfums MDCI 2012

Whoever takes their time on the Palatine Hill, high above the city of Rome and among the many ruins of the Forum Romanum, and activates all their senses, will recognize many of the fragrance notes mentioned in the pyramid.
There, I encountered them all back then.
Trees, plants, flowers, mosses, resins, and small creatures: Everything has woven together in this composition by Bertrand Duchaufour for the brand MDCI into a magnificent chypre fragrance.

The opening is wonderfully herbaceous-spicy and also resinous-smoky: Lavender, cistus, and occasionally a blooming hyacinth harmonize with the first incense/galbanum, while sun-ripened mandarins fit surprisingly well with the slightly strict, crushed thyme aroma.
The colors dark green and brown dominate, interspersed with pink-purple highlights.
Mother Nature as an artist sends her regards.
Things are a bit more cultivated in the floral heart:
Ripe, juicy plums, seemingly still sun-warmed, share the space with the classic flowers of chypre fragrances: Roses, jasmine, and iris delight, and the noble aroma of gardenias sets a preliminary highlight!
The previous scent image is significantly brightened by this, reminiscent of light and shadow, as the herbaceous spice adapts to the floral enchantment.
It is beautiful and yet not too delicate, rather still a bit rustic.
A good dose of oakmoss fits perfectly. What would a good chypre fragrance be without its powerful spice?
Immortelles, also known as Italian straw flowers, harmonize excellently with this creation's floral heart; their aroma has been skillfully and not too heavily introduced.
Warm vanilla, resting on leather, with a dose of castoreum - the eroticism presents itself sensually animalistic, and yet "Chypre Palatin" already shows itself to be balsamic, before a veil of resinous smoke envelops this composition and concludes it richly.
A fragrance for a ruler?

Here, skillful play with fragrance notes and the senses they awaken has taken place; I really like that!
It shows that a chypre does not always have to be just a typical chypre, but can also harbor wonderful facets without being untrue to itself.
This is very high perfumery art, and this creation wears it well:
It takes us by the hand and guides us through its different stages of development, without becoming too strenuous or boring over time.
This is likely also due to its long-lasting nature, which allows time for all the necessary scent developments and discoveries, where every now and then a fragrant mosaic piece shifts.
This "Palatin" does not let us feel its power; it provides, like Rome's green hill, a special experience, this time in scent!

By the way, I do not agree with the classification as a men's fragrance at all; "Chypre Palatin" is a rich, slightly dark fragrance that adapts wonderfully to women's skin and hair.
A bit of a ruler, a bit of a chameleon, but always a chypre: Isn't that interesting?