I asked Luca Turin on Substack which one of the following four fougères that he raved about in the first Guide he would choose today: Rive Gauche Pour Homme, L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu, Yohji Yamomoto Yohji Homme, or Pascal Morabito Or Black. He replied, simply, “But… I don’t have to choose.” I laughed. Fair enough. I added that I’d recently found a bottle of the latter, to which he replied: “Or Black is the driest, darkest perfume I’ve ever smelled, even more so than Guerlain’s Djedi. An absolute marvel.”
Of course, Turin refers to the original 1981 release by Jean-Louis Sieuzac (of Opium, Dune, Bel Ami, and Fahrenheit fame). The bottle that I’d found was of the 2014 rerelease, which by reputable accounts is a faithful reorchestration. I’ve personally never sniffed the original, but I am thrilled with this one.
It opens on a violet leaf note that is anisic, green, and creamy, suggesting something unctuous and somewhat medicinal. There are resinous rosemary needles and a deliciously biting artemisia that are suffused with lavender, giving it a shaving cream vibe reminiscent of Barbasol. As it dries down, the violet turns muskier and the leather in the heart comes through.
It’s a dark fougère with chypre elements. It contains a very subtle petroleum or motor oil effect, recalling Fahrenheit (it’s been noted that the 1981 version prefigured the finished gasoline accord of the 1988 Dior release). The darkish-greenness here doesn’t turn increasingly resinous and smoky — like “triple-distilled Earl Grey”, as Turin puts it in the 2008 Guide. Instead, it stays relatively crisp and cooling, though always bitter, as it radiates with its verdant hue.
I enjoy this juice a whole lot, and discover something new each time I wear it. Fantastic.
