Azemour Les Orangers Parfum d'Empire 2011

FYI, Mr Corticchiato was born and raised amongst orange trees in the coastal region of Azemmour. Obviously, that was the inspiration for this perfume here. Hence the name. What makes this more than 'just another ode to the orange tree' is the way this wears on skin and its sophisticated progression over time.

Azemour has a spicy citrus opening, with a very realistic orange smell. A pleasant first impression, somewhat classical cologne-ish, but not quite amazing. Not yet, that is. The development that follows is what makes this stand out from the rest of the spicy-cologne genre. The whole warms up a bit with a green-resin-oakmoss base. The cumin note is kind of strong, maybe that is not to everyone's liking. In my opinion it fits in perfectly with both the oranges from the opening and the greens in the end.

The result is a casual fresh cologne with sophisticated plot. Again, a very successful release from Parfum d'Empire. Highly recommended.

Freshly plucked and peeled oranges, pith and all, mingling with the woody, lichen-y scent of the orange grove from whence it came. This is my second bottle and I notice that the slightly body-odor-ish warmth of the cumin has been scrubbed out, hence also the impression it once created of some of the orange picker’s undershirt being included in the overall bubble. But this is still the most wonderfully tart and naturalistic orange note available in perfumery. I love that the piquancy of the orange is peel-like rather than OJ adjacent, which of course adds to the chypre-like feel of the scent. It is made even more brilliant by the contrast with the greyish, almost ashen lichen or moss notes in the base.

Azemour les Orangers smells dark green and orange to me, the saturated, jewel-like colors of an oil painting. It is this glowing, oleaginous quality that sets it out as special in the citrus genre, especially when compared to the equally beautiful but much more transparent Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte and the Concentre d’Orange Verte. I tend to wear it most in winter, when I need a vitamin C shot to the arm that will see me through the gloom of an entire day without petering off into nothing or losing any of its naturalness of feel. Too many citrus perfumes rely on brash woody ambers to carry the song once the volatile citrus oils have fizzed out, but not Azemour. Over time, the cigarette ashiness of the base pushes forward a bit to compensate for the slow pulling back of the freshly peeled orange note, but the fact that I still smell the orange there, lingering in the murk eight hours after applying it, makes me inordinately happy.

Beside the perspiring oranges of a hot July day in a clay bowl, I sit there, indolent, watching the condensation slide along the surface, then fall, drop by drop, and I ponder my bandwidth for any semblance of physical activity. It is so hot, the evergreens outside my window exhale their own beautifully ambivalent aromas in the thick air.

On the radio, Dan Fogelberg's "Make Love Stay" plays, with its languid sax solo, then Wings' "With a Little Luck." The kitchen is decorated with bright bakelite items and the distant smoke of Dad's Chesterfields is detected. "There is no end to what we can do together...." The dog days of summer are penetrating me now.

Azemour Les Oranger sends its citruses to a more unkempt, human place. It feels sweet, zesty, then rough-rindy, humid and on the verge of brutish. It straddles between the stoic and the vulnerable. It isn't just the tangerines that are ripe here. Bodies are ripe, emotions are ripe. The succor of this scent is in its refusal to be an antiseptic fantasy. It doesn't just sit on the skin—it makes love to it.

Marc-Antoine Corticchiato has managed to convince me on several occasions he's a wizard at composing perfumes. I don't consider it to be an overblown statement, taking into account Mr Corticchiato's impressive body of work, notably fragrances like “Cuir Ottoman”, “Ambre Russe”, “Eau de Gloire”, ”Aziyadé”, “Fougere Bengale”, or “Wazamba”, to name just a few. His are complex, well-thought-out perfumes that take their wearer on an olfactory as well as emotional journey. Some journeys resemble a smooth ride while others a dizzying rollercoaster. If I were to make a “best-of” list of Corticchiato´s fragrances, “Azemour Les Orangers” would undoubtedly feature near the very top of such a list.

“Azemour Les Orangers” is an olfactory poem, a poignant tribute to orange groves in the Kingdom of Morocco, where Marc-Antoine Corticchiato was born and grew up. The top of the fragrance is pleasantly citrusy. Instead of being sour, the citrus opening exudes a hint of sweetness, courtesy of an orange-tangerine combination. In the heart, an orange blossom note helps to preserve the delicate sweetness of the scent. Simultaneously, a pinch of salt is added to the composition, thus evoking the aroma of an orange grove by the sea. In the drydown, oak moss emerges and the chypre character of the fragrance becomes unmistakeable.

In this reviewer's opinion, “Azemour Les Orangers” is the ultimate daydreamers' delight. This fragrance makes you want to set out on a journey and experience a crisp spring morning in a Moroccan orange grove for yourself. However, I suspect Mr Corticchiato's perfume is a lot better than the real McCoy. Enjoy the ride!

This review is based on the current bottle/formulation and as I have never tried any vintage, I cannot speak to what this is like now.
I feel this house in general is probably overlooked a little bit here in fragcult, but that is fine with me.

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