Sables Goutal 1985

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7.8 / 10 234 Ratings

Sables is a popular perfume by Goutal for men and was released in 1985. The scent is spicy-woody. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Amore Pacific / 아모레퍼시픽. Pronunciation

Goes well with Myrrhe Ardente (Eau de Parfum)

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Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Earthy

Oriental

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes	Bergamot Mandarin orange
Heart Notes	Jasmine Madagascan pepper Moss
Base Notes	Immortelle Amber Indian sandalwood

Perfumer

Annick Goutal

Ratings

Scent

7.8234 Ratings

Longevity

8.6177 Ratings

Sillage

6.9169 Ratings

Bottle

7.3162 Ratings

Value for money

7.518 Ratings

Submitted by Chemist, last update on 14.03.2023.

Interesting Facts

Together with her husband, the cellist Alain Meunier, Annick Goutal should have spent several holidays on Corsica. It's said that she used her memories of them when she created "Sables".
The central theme of the perfume is supposed to be the shrub landscape. The maquis (or Corsican maquis) is a scrubland biome which is found in the Mediterranean region, considered typical of Corsica. It was born of over-used forests, which were broken by deforestation, logging and grazing as an ecosystem, creating the three to five meter high scrubland. The Macchia is often very rich in herbs and has its own beauty as a landscape, although one can still observe the traces of degradation significantly.

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9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

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04/22/2018

7
Bottle 8
Sillage 9
Longevity 9
Scent

Meggi

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Meggi

Top Review 43

Rich bouquet

Napoleon is said to have said during his years at St Helena that he would recognise Corsica by its scent when blindfolded. Apparently, various plants are responsible for this typical Corsican smell, which Sables refers to. So a pure scent of daisies was not to be expected - nevertheless Sables with his variety simply swept me away:

Herbal liqueur, spicy-foral, green-potato, strawy, slightly citric, waxy, caramel-like, curry-like, sweetish resinous, honey-like. All this is Sables within a very short time and remains so for hours. A lush and voluminous, yet amazingly not at all overwhelming, rich bouquet of billowing aromas arches up. Little progression, much variety.

In the course of the morning the fragrance merely becomes a little quieter. As if a form of mildness of old age had gradually set in, which admittedly loses none of its excitement, but certainly not its profile and character. All the components mentioned can still be perceived, they are only dimmed and gently sweetened. This is not surprising, it should become sweet towards the end! Allegedly...

But always anew, other impressions surprise in between, which may be explained by existing things, but still seem to be independent: A charge of essential oils of a sweet freshness that reminds me of aromatic lavender and aniseed. Or, around noon, aspects of fennel and celery suddenly seem to come to mind. Soon after, the Immortelle remembers her real name 'strawflower' and it no longer resonates with profane straw alone (see above), but a touch of dried summer flowers can be waved or even mentioned.

The fact that Sables turned a little bit towards curry in the afternoon fits well, after all the Immortelle is also called curry herb. Hm. Shouldn't it get sweet sometime? The persistence of the fragrance is really enormous. The base notes given stay out to the back, well into the evening, mere accessories.

It's weird. Many Goutals are a target for complaints about lack of stamina. This is contrasted by some real durability monsters. Like this one
Sables was a real surprise to me. My pre-associations, be it on the subject of "strawflower" or - in relation to the name - on "sand", possibly even on shortbread, went completely wrong. A great scent
I thank Mocha for the sample.

07/21/2018

7
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Serenissima

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Serenissima

Top Review 27

Effi Briest, Immortelle and the Failure of a Marriage

"... Thick tufts of beach oats stood everywhere to the side, but around them immortelle and a few blood-red carnations. Innstetten bent down and stuck a carnation in his buttonhole. "The Immortelle after!" ..."

If I hear Immortellen, I immediately think of this place from Theodor Fontane's social novel Effi Briest.
The young Effi has to marry (instead of her mother Luise) her childhood love Geert von Innstetten and is taken to the Pomeranian wasteland. There she lives in an inhospitable haunted house with her unloved husband, residents who are always strangers to her, and a "preserved young crocodile" hanging from the ceiling in the hallway. (I still couldn't find out if "the Chinese" is really haunted.)
What has to happen happens: she falls in love with the "first best" that comes her way: the handsome and unlike her husband not at all boring Major of Crampas.
After the usual "trials and tribulations" it finally comes to a duel. Crampas is shot by Innstetten, the marriage is divorced and Effi, young and stupid as she still is, has to return to her parental home "in disgrace".
There she more or less dawns towards her end and leaves her mother in quite a "soul's torment".
For quiet hours, Fontane's novel is a pretty pleasant entertainment.

The immortelle, also called straw flowers, which grow between the beach oats, really have a curry-like scent.
I have a very large, silver-leaved plant on the balcony: during the flowering season with numerous yellow cone cushions it cannot deny the name "curry flower".
Years ago I only brought a finger-length head shoot from our Botanical Garden; who would have thought of such an expansive plant back then? If it were possible, I would say: the entire Immortelle smells slightly dusty - the illusion of a sparsely overgrown stretch of beach in front of the grey monotonous sea cannot be dismissed.

Annick Goutal's "Sables" starts for me with this dry fragrance that contains a slight hint of curry. Here the Immortelle is caught very well.
This light felt dustiness is pleasantly invigorated by the warm cinnamon scent; but it takes the warmth and pulsating power of vanilla to bring a little "fire" into this scent work of art.
Only now does "Sables" leave the native macchia mentioned above and become more cultivated, a little more elegant: the fragrance begins to become "city-fine".
The sandalwood gift is very important here to bring the first golden ray into this fragrance mixture: it begins to breathe and live in a quiet, quiet way.
So this pretty fancy creation is finally ready to get the finishing touches by Amber.

"Sables" reminds me of a well-cut men's suit in light or dark grey, which has to be enlivened by an interestingly patterned tie in order not to look too serious.
For me this is a fragrance that needs time and a certain amount of trust to get to know it, maybe even to conquer it.
A "love at first sight/"spray" seems a bit unlikely to me.
The durability for a Annick Goutal fragrance is tremendously long; after hours "Sables" is still present; but then the Immortelle dominates again - not unpleasant, but a little bit needs getting used to.

"Sables" seems to be a classic for the "serious" gentleman; how far he is suitable for the "active life" or even for women I cannot judge.
Here I hold it with the old Briest and his final movement at Fontane: "... it is too wide a field."

Thank you Meggi for leaving the bottling to us; this test was definitely worth it!

---<¶
A supplement for all film friends:
In 1939 Gustaf Gründgens filmed this subject with his wife Marianne Hoppe in the leading role; the movie was called "Der Schritt vom Wege".
Mrs. Hoppe had a little dog at the time of this marriage who listened to the name "Effi Briest".
Known as a constant barker, Gustaf called him "Kläffi Biest"!

07/14/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Top Review 6

Anoplopoma fimbria?

Sables follows a classical drydown arc: top, heart, basenotes. The real trick though is that is that it takes you from one genre to another over this progression.

Starting with immortelle dissolved in amber, Sables gives you either a strictly sweet maple syrup candy, or a sweet and savory curry with fenugreek and raisins. It’s up to your nose. I get the latter. Either way I find it principally gourmand.

Where Sables winds up, though is in the sandlewood/amber range. While the spice-like immortelle fades in the heartnotes, by drydown, there is a light, peppery sharpness that gives the amber drydown a mineral/dry inflections not miles from that of Ambre Sultan’s scent of hot stone. Sables is the only fragrance I can think of off the top of my head that isn’t categorized so much as a hybrid (eg. floriental, leather chypre…) but as a fragrance that starts in one genre (gourmand) and ends firmly in another (amber/oriental.)

A gorgeously constructed fragrance, appropriate across the multiple (and I believe there really are many) genders, but would be a smart statement of devil-may-care appreciation of prettiness on an assured straight man.

01/07/2021

10
Pricing 7
Bottle 9
Sillage 9
Longevity 10
Scent

HugoMontez
65 Reviews

HugoMontez

Helpful Review 7

With love, forever.

There are some fragrances that create so much with so little. Super straight forward, they want to replicate some moment/place or just the smell of something.

Goutal is a great classic brand that newer noses don't care and/or don't even know about it. And I don't blame them because today's standards are different from 20 years ago. Youtubers are the main sources for new hyped fragrances and the whole market are centered on fresh and sweet versatile scents and the niche houses are no longer niche brands but just high end designers clones, with higher price tags. Fortunately, there are still some classic niche brands that does things right.

This classic '85 release is a proof that we still can enjoy some different and quality fragrances with a good price and stand out while smelling appealing at the same time.

Created to his husband, Goutal wanted to replicate the smell of sand in Corsica beaches. And to do that, she choose to use immortelle. A big flower, with yellow tones and a strong smell (like burned curry). Very common in dunes and dry sandy places.

Sables has, right at the opening, a strong immortelle presence. Super dry, curry-like, a little bit creamy and sweet. There's also something sticky and sweet in the opening, that will evolve into a more dry, creamy and relaxed sweetness in he drydown. The main player here is, of course, the immortelle but I also can detect some dry and sweet cinnamon and a creamy sandalwood. That's it. Super straight forward composition. But it's so beautiful, powerful and majestic that it works perfectly.

A true piece of art, but still, very wearable and comforting like a warm coat. Winter is the best time to wear it due to his great performance and presence. Although I also can wear it in spring, on a walk on the coast side. 2 sprays will fill a room and will last all day (10h+)

All in all, a beautiful and magic fragrance that is a must-have and deserves more attention. Hopefully, will be available forever for us to enjoy, like the immortelle itself.

5/5

04/25/2012

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 8
Scent

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 3

Syrupy and distinctive

It's no secret that I adore Annick Goutal, however I must admit, despite my eagerness, I wondered whether or not her male fragrances would captivate me in the same way.

Fortunately, Sables is outstanding, incredibly desirable on a man and something I wouldn't mind wearing myself.

It's a little sharp at first. Sables begins with a strong burst of pepper, woods and smoke. Although masculine, I thought it was a little too much, somewhere along the lines of the ruggedly masculine yet rich and bold Yatagan by Caron.

Thankfully Sables settles into a divine, sensual blend of woods, spice, caramel and burnt golden syrup. It's almost a gourmand for men with its distinctive deliciousness.

I love how the burnt sugar accord doesn't make this fragrance feminine or too sweet. It's perfectly balanced and very sexy, something that I would never tire of smelling.

The longevity and sillage are rather impressive, with this fragrance clinging to the skin for almost a whole 12 hours or more. I highly recommend.

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