Versace Man Versace 2003 Eau de Toilette

Many fragrances simply leave us too early. The Gucci Pour Homme 2, for example, was taken from us far too soon. The community still mourns the much too early demise of Dior Fahrenheit Absolute. And then there are fragrances that are taken from us, which most people didn't even notice were gone.

The Versace Man is one of those candidates. First released in 2003 and then discontinued about 15 years later. Did the perfume world really suffer a significant loss here? Let's find out together.

Versace has become known to me primarily through mainstream and often relatively affordable fragrances. Dylan Blue comes to mind. Or a Versace Eros. However, this brand also has a knack for unusual scents, as shown at the latest with "The Dreamer".
The Versace Man is one of those great exceptions. We have here an oriental tobacco scent that, in its composition, should clearly be assigned more to the niche category. The fragrance starts with a beautifully zesty and fresh bergamot and a good portion of black pepper. The pepper gives the bergamot, alongside its citrus aspects, a certain sharpness and profile. In the heart, the oriental touch clearly comes to the forefront. With cardamom, which also brings a fundamental spiciness, we have primarily saffron, which pushes the Versace Man in a distinctly oriental direction. Additionally, from the middle of the fragrance, I get associations with grape juice, which wonderfully connects with the spicy aspects of the scent. Interestingly, the Versace Oud Noir (often mentioned in the same breath as Tom Ford's Oud Wood) clearly draws on the fundamental DNA of the Versace Man. When you smell both fragrances side by side, you quickly notice the similarities. In both scents, saffron in combination with cardamom is the driving force. While the Oud Noir takes a slightly different path into a woodier and oud-inspired direction many years later (2013 to be precise), the Versace Man has a first-class tobacco scent in the drydown. The tobacco here is supported by a minimal smoky labdanum. Despite the amber in the base, the Versace Man never drifts into a too sweet or pleasing direction. While many current tobacco fragrances tend to become sweeter and evoke a Christmas market feel, the Versace Man remains absolutely stylish and rather reminds one of an older lounge, where you listen to good jazz in comfortable armchairs and let the day wind down peacefully.

I wouldn't have expected a fragrance like the Versace Man from a house like Versace. It simply smells too mature, almost too niche, and definitely more expensive than one would assume.

The longevity is about 7 hours on a solid level for a "designer fragrance".

Unfortunately, the availability is a different story. The only source for bottles is either groups on social networks where fragrances are traded or sold, or the detour through eBay, where the bottles now go for around €100. Given the quality of the fragrance and its rather extraordinary scent profile, I would still consider this price justified.

Therefore, I would answer the question posed at the beginning with a clear YES. With the Versace Man, we were indeed taken an excellent fragrance that is unlikely to be expected from Versace in this manner again.