Eau de France Rancé 1795 2003

“Eau de Cologne” means something to all of us; “Eau de France” is now the French counterpart from the traditional house of Rancé.
Has Rancé gone mad with grandeur?
What are they thinking?
“Eau de France” … Great head-shaking!

Well, the house of Rancé was already a court supplier during Napoleon's time.
Founded in 1795 as a “perfume house” (before that, they were long-time glove makers and also produced the then-popular scented accessories/galanterie items), it quickly became the supplier to the emperor, so it is no surprise that the names of many fragrances come from his circle.
I took a look around and found that, apart from his Austrian wife Marie-Louise (of Habsburg), each of them was immortalized in fragrance form.
Let’s take a closer look at the “Collection Impériale”:
His mother “Laeticia”; the first, historically noted mistress Desirée Clary, a silk merchant's daughter and later Queen of Sweden; two of his beloved sisters (his favorite was Pauline/later Paulina de Borghese and the youngest, the somewhat rebellious Elisa, later Grand Duchess of Tuscany) as well as his first wife Empress “Joséphine”, up to his only daughter “Hélène”, who was already born on St. Helena.
Even “Eugenie”, the last Empress of the French and wife of Napoleon III:
None were forgotten by the house of Rancé; each received their fragrance.
Right here, it shows that Napoleon Bonaparte was indeed a so-called “Homme à Femmes” for posterity.

Napoleon loved fragrances so much that he even drank several flacons of Eau de Cologne daily: Allegedly, he wanted to smell good everywhere and at all times.
He strikes me more as a “silent alcoholic,” but, well:
“Honi soit qui mal y pense” or simply “To each their own”!
After all, he was emperor.

Due to this history, the Rancé brand has every right to create an “Eau de France” with the “Rue Rancé” series; let’s call it a “Gallic whim.”
I only know “Rue Rancé - Eau de France” from this series, a fragrance without frills; straightforward and fresh-green and floral; extremely pleasant for someone like me, who repeatedly uses clear eaux de toilette: be they from Jo Malone or Patricia de Nïcolai.

This “French Water” opens with a spicy-fresh blend of bergamot, lavender accords, and the fragrant delicacy of neroli.
A summer morning in the Mediterranean south awakens and already holds all its beauty in this beginning.
Violet leaf green and summery ylang-ylang flower vines accompany the noble gardenia bushes with their creamy white, sometimes quite strongly scented blooms.
Of course, “Eau de France” thus becomes more refined than an ordinary little fragrance.
It is easy to imagine strolling through this awakening morning with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoying its olfactory diversity.
The classic base notes provide an earthy dampness (or damp earth?) of the early morning in the form of golden-brown patchouli, earthy-wet vetiver, and of course noble sandalwood notes for the fragrant climax.
This clear fragrance liquid still needs a bit of warmth to finish.
It gets this from a fitting sensual-animalic musk note.

Thus, “Rue Rancé - Eau de France” is somewhat less citrus-fresh than the well-known eaux de cologne, but does not differ significantly from them in sillage and longevity.
It remains pleasantly fresh, not quite as zesty or biting as some eaux de cologne, but still sparkling and lively.

Let’s call “Rue Rancé - Eau de France” a fragrance born of pride and patriotism, but one must not deny this composition its own distinct personality.
For me, “Rue Rancé - Eau de France” is a pleasant alternative to many of the well-known eaux de cologne:
It doesn’t scratch my throat, doesn’t make me sneeze, nor do my eyes water:
It is generously floral and finely woody.
For those not specifically seeking the usual “fresh kick,” but wanting to start the day elegantly and finely perfumed, this fragrance composition would be a pleasant change.
So finely perfumed and elegantly scented for the day, strolling along the “Rue Rancé,” everyone can be sure that they are charmingly and lightly accompanied by French joie de vivre.