Monbloom Ramón Monegal 2015

The hall is dark, the red velvet curtain rests heavily on the stage, the lights are dimmed, and the excited buzzing of many voices fills the room. But now... the lights go out, dramatic pause, a spotlight turns on! The hall goes quiet, not even a whisper, at most an excited, sharp intake of breath. The glaring white light of the spotlight cuts through the dense darkness and illuminates the soprano of the evening. There she stands, all in white, the dress in a simple cut, yet made of wonderfully heavy dense fabric, almost like marble, the beautiful, heavy dress falls and reflects the light all the way to the front row.

A natural, fleshy, opulent tuberose in its authenticity, and by no means synthetic.
Nothing "screeches" here, no chewing gum, rather the grand and majestically quiet sister of Lutens' Tubéreuse criminelle. Not a narcotic, not the great seduction (not that I wouldn't like that, I also enjoy the dramatic, diva-like appearance of tuberose). Here, the tuberose is almost buttery at the beginning, rich. It quickly no longer stands alone, yet remains in the foreground. Like a deep bass that floods the room after the first bright chords. So do patchouli and oud flood the stage. The tuberose's voice sounds radiantly bright, yet rich, the double basses of the wonderfully dirty-earthy (briefly charmingly stable) patchouli-oud fill the hall and balance the tuberose.
Singing and shining, it wanders over the velvety black, light-devouring labdanum carpet, with the dramatic moments provided by the incense stage fog. The solo becomes a duet: Osmanthus later provides the light sweetness, an almost fruity-bright apricot note resonates, and the osmanthus even takes on its own parts at times.

Consistently and subtly, the background singers jasmine (surprisingly close to authentic night-blooming jasmine) and orange blossom fill the scene.
A beautiful balancing act of deepest and darkest heaviness and a brightly shining lightness. Oud, patchouli, labdanum fill the room, tuberose, osmanthus, and white flowers shine in competition, bright incense unites them and prevents the whole thing from drifting into a cozy, resinous cow shed or ascending into the diva-like white flower heaven. Occasionally, fruity notes flash like a playful triangle and then they are gone again.

Perfectly blended, great progression. This will always work, both in oppressive heat (which I am currently testing extensively) and in autumn and winter, where white flowers need a warming base to not dissipate in an instant. Not masculine, not feminine, thus perfect for everyone. Glaringly bright and wonderfully dirty at the same time. Sparingly dosed, wearable in the office, as the sillage, despite its sporty longevity, is not overwhelming. Abundant when sought out, perfect for a striking appearance. Rarely have I smelled such a beautifully balanced fragrance.