Bergamote

Divine Bergamote

The Different Company 2004

... it is simple, unfussy and somewhat distant. I have a few fragrances by Jean-Claude Ellena in my collection - it may be a coincidence, but they all have one thing in common. They strike me as a highly stylized take on an idea from nature. I think of ikebana, the elaborate Japanese flower arrangements with their precise minimalism, subject to strict rules. A voluntary self-restriction to the essential, which I like very much.

Bergamote by The Different Company is no exception for me. At the center, artfully placed in the light, is the eponymous bergamot. Now you could remark somewhat sarcastically, that's actually it, but that would do this ethereal fragrance structure then but injustice. The bergamot was placed by the master of understatement some delicate pastel helpers to the side, a brush stroke of ginger spiciness, a dab of green, a touch of flower, a touch of acidity.
This added acidity is what I like least about the scent. At the beginning it seems almost vinegary-sour, the pyramid identifies it as rhubarb, funnily enough it reminds me more of the smell of vegetable aspic as it progresses. After some time, this for me undesirable component moves into the background and a translucent, restrained fragrance remains.
Sensation is unlikely to attract with him, the sillage I estimate as practically non-existent. On days when I'm a little fragrance tired or after a restless night through he is but a perfectly balanced and thus soothing companion.