38°N 16°E Richard Lüscher Britos 2013

Richard Lüscher Britos Terroir Perfumes are designed to tell an individual story of a specific place and capture a 'terroir'. 38°N 16°E (Reggio di Calabria) is an all-natural journey to Southern Italy's olfactory characteristics. For perfume lovers Calabria certainly is a synonym of bergamot and 38°N 16°E’s opening is all about this citrus fruit. Crisp and citrusy, the fragrance instantly evokes a vivid image of the green peel and its essential oil. Soon the scent of orange blossom blends in perfectly, sweetish fresh and mellow, without any indolic trait. Jean-Claude Richard created a simple yet stunningly beautiful top note which transitions seamlessly into an early and graceful heart. Sandalwood lends creamy smoothness but does not come across particularly woody.
Alas, to my nose at least, it fades all too soon at this stage. Although sandalwood usually is a superb fixative, it seems to fail in this composition. According to the notes list, the base has been bolstered up with frankincense. However, apart from a faint lemony-balsamic whiff I cannot detect any of its typical resinous and coniferous undertone, much to my disappointment. I would have liked a more pronounced frankincense presence. Thereby a lovely homage to the region's Byzantine heritage could have been embodied, representing a more consistent execution of 'terroir' in my opinion.

I sampled a couple of other Richard Lüscher Britos scents in EdP concentration and found diffusion impeccable and volume moderate. Hence, I think it possible that the rather flat and premature ending of 38°N 16°E may be owed to the EdT concentration at hand.