Bois de Paradis Parfums DelRae 2002

A long time ago, I received a sample of Bois de Paradis and found the scent wonderful. A masterpiece by Michel Roudnitska, who supposedly took several years to compose it. The interplay of fruit, rose, and woods has fascinated me ever since and never quite let go. Now, the DelRae fragrances are very hard to find in Europe, but a friend recently took a vacation in California and brought me the scent from L.A. :) My luck and a toast to friendship!

The scent in the bottle surprised me in several ways. First of all: it is even more beautiful and complex than I remembered.
The fragrance starts spicy (cinnamon) and with a note reminiscent of slightly burnt caramel. It smells warm and a bit like dark fruit compote, but not too sweet. Overall, I find the sweetness very restrained. The fig remains somewhat hidden on my skin, while the rose becomes quite dominant - and that's a good thing because it is beautiful! Among the berry compote, a dark but clean rose slowly mixes in, giving the fragrance a noble touch. Very faintly, the scent reminds me of Lyric Woman by Amouage. The base is cedar-heavy and provides enough resistance so that it doesn't become too feminine, floral, or fruity-sweet. Bois de Paradis smells more like an evening in a wooden cabin, with good red wine and dark forest berry chocolate pralines.

The second surprise: I always found the scent a bit too weak as a tester. I attributed this to the fact that I could only dab the scent with the sample and not spray it. Now - Surprise! - the scent is still quite transparent :/ I practically envelop myself in the fragrance, and only in the 1st-2nd hour do I perceive it clearly (but still not intrusive!). After that, it fades significantly, and I have to consciously try to capture the scent veil. Others also only notice it up close.
Nevertheless, the scent is there: I occasionally catch a trace of it, and that trace is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Warm, autumnal, rosewood.