Gandix

Wonderfully citrusy,
Lavender-speckled
Wanderlust flowers on
soft green ground
Dream sequence on powdered balsamic
of bygone times.
A memory that never quite fades.

A wonderfully zesty opening, so sparkling that I wonder if lemon balm or lemongrass might be involved. I don't explicitly perceive the cumin. Enchanting herbal notes of lavender accompany it.
The flowers, especially heliotrope and ylang-ylang, evoke a sense of wanderlust in me. Tonka not too sweet. The whole thing is powdered, blending harmoniously together.
The base is then only very subtly and skin-close perceivable as vanilla-amber-balsamic.
The next morning, the aura of tonka-powdered heliotrope/ylang-ylang with a breath of balsamic, reminiscent more of amber than patchouli. More like a memory than the certainty of a scent.

The owner is an heiress of François Coty, which is advertised on the homepage, and here on Parfumo, the closeness to Emeraude is mentioned. I am fortunate to own a very well-preserved version of the Emeraude perfume. A remaining drop from this 4-piece set that was reissued in the last third of the 1990s. Yes, I can confirm this closeness. In Spoturno, the citrus is zestier and longer-lasting. However, it seems to blend a bit into itself from the top notes. The longevity of Spoturno is also somewhat to be criticized. It is there, but only perceivable close to the skin. The vintage, on the other hand, blooms upon application to the skin, plays with it, and seems to dance on it. That is the difference for me. Nevertheless, Christophe Sheldrake has created a wonderful fragrance here that is naturally right up my alley. The more I test it, the more I can sniff out the individual notes, and I find it closer to Emeraude.
By the way, Emeraude contains lemongrass, so that could fit. Is opoponax and benzoin replaced by tonka? The scent itself is not diminished by this, but the two add more depth and likely contribute to better longevity.
The homepage states that it has been constructed more modernly, and I see it that way too.
In the meantime, there is an extremely expensive Limited 1, a Limited 2, a Traveller, a current Extrait, and an EdP available. The last two seem to have slightly altered notes. Possibly to achieve better longevity.
I was able to test an Extrait sample, which is listed under the Traveller, and the EdP. In the EdP, the citrus is less zesty, more effervescent, but just as beautiful. The progression is not as blending, and the longevity is better. Otherwise, I find the scent almost the same. So if you don't have an overflowing wallet and place a lot of value on the packaging, the EdP is a good choice.
It should also be mentioned that I approached the samples with slight skepticism.
(This refers to all samples of the brand.) At one point, Calone is mentioned, at another the reconstruction of amber and civet with other notes.
In another sample, even Ambrafix. However, I personally do not perceive any artificiality and am extremely happy about that. It is indeed possible to use it so sparingly that it does not disturb. Wonderful to still find new things in Europe that are great. They are expensive, but that is the norm in the niche as well.
In summary, one could say:
Spoturno 1921 is like a memory of Emeraude that never quite fades, it does not fully reach the classic, but it is very close at times, and beautiful.
The differences are evident through the stronger citrus at the beginning, the lavender, and of course the ultimately unreachable Emeraude base.

Update:
The comparison above refers to softly sprayed skin tests. In the meantime, I can perceive it more clearly this way and they last longer.
When sprayed generously including clothing, I no longer perceive the closeness to Emeraude as strongly. Other notes come more to the fore. In the Extrait, lavender and a bit of spice. The EdP feels strongly spicy and shows clear differences, including a slight off-note that could possibly indicate some synthetic elements. Only in the EdP. Here begins my problem, as the notes in the cheaper Extrait are listed as in the EdP.
In the expensive one, there are slightly different notes. What was in this Extrait sample, and are there differences, or do I just perceive it that way? I have inquired, but have not yet received a response. Personally, I would now choose against the EdP.

Just as getting to know the stranger takes away the strange...
The realization steps from shadow into light...
From distance, warmth and security emerge...

That's how I feel about this fragrance.

Aldehydic
Lavender flashing
Animalistic and physical
Leather-like tendencies
A hint of moss
Diffusely powdered flowers,
but also green
Balsamic

Fragments of words that collected in 5 tests.

Incomprehensible, writes our dear IrisNobile...
And me?
I am very confused while testing.
So much so that I sent her my notes and asked if she could somehow associate them with the fragrance.
It wasn't that the scent gradually opened up to me,
no, there was always a different note in the foreground,
which seemed to play no role in the next test.

In the first test (sprayed), I was overwhelmed by a nearly coarse animality,
more beaver and almost horse,
which I could not detect in any further tests, but is nonetheless undeniable, as there is a minimal hint of leather that could come from the beaver notes.
I would also consider Opoponax, or something similar to Mousse de Saxe, possible,
and surely amber is present.
There is a balsamic warmth that I had already in the first test,
and that is what remained consistent and carries the essence of the fragrance.
However, I found that the top and heart notes were almost completely missing in the first test.

So in the second test, dabbed...
Now aldehydes clearly showed themselves, a hint of flowers, but very backgrounded,
as if only the memory remained that there once were some in the fragrance.
With each subsequent test, however, they crystallized more,
appearing brighter, without me being able to recognize individual floral notes.
Animality is still present, but now more physical and it makes the fragrance very soft. Therefore, I suspect civet.
There is also something green and something powdery...
Since I believe I can detect a hint of moss, the powdery aspect likely comes from that,
because this moss does not smell soapy.

Finally, in another test, lavender flashed up, which had not been there before...
And the thought of Opoponax, or something similar to Mousse de Saxe, just came to mind while writing. (The fragrance on my hand and sniffing repeatedly).

Overall, this is a wonderful, dark seducer with light and shadow, many facets that are very harmoniously intertwined.
From my initial distance, it developed into a 'warming together,' an unfortunate love affair, because one probably won't be able to track down the fragrance anymore.
It originates from the time between 1920 and 30, which is almost a guarantee of quality.
A time when perfumers still lived their art.

The mentioned fragrance notes are just impressions from me, possibilities, and without any guarantee. There may be hits among them, and I could be far off. Unfortunately, I found nothing about this fragrance on the internet. It is only meant to show which direction the fragrance goes.

Molinard could do more than just Habanita.
It's a pity that so much is lost forever.

She's dancing with flowers

Diane's fantastic journey through space and time
A summer scent like a hummingbird
Flower dizziness
Honeydew-kissing lips
Singing stone circles blend with the buzzing of bees

I don't want to claim that something similar has never been smelled before, yet Lisbon is somewhat like the floral scent grail of modern times for me.
To translate such lush flowers so delicately requires a lot of empathy. Initially, on the skin, it is somewhat minimally soapy,
with an extremely subtle hint of indole.
From a distance, it is overwhelmingly floral.
More white and yellow blooms.
At first, I thought... What? Sooo floral....
But this careful and loving interpretation becomes apparent very quickly.
It subtly becomes just a touch powdery...
Bright honeydew droplets coat everything,
and from this point on, I am in love and hopelessly lost.
I find myself in the midst of summer.
Soft, gently fruity notes accompany it.
With a bit of imagination, it is indeed reminiscent of American grape soda.
The nectar of the hummingbird.
Slightly creamy.
The plumage of the hummingbird shimmers slightly green.
Sometimes it nibbles on dew drops from the grasses.
There may be a very diffuse cedar wood note.
I know too little about juniper to identify it.
As the scent fades, I perceive a bit more soap again, but never too much.
From a distance, it is a beautiful floral scent, infused with bright honey and pollen from beginning to end.

Diane's signature is clearly recognizable, this uncomplicated mix of classic and modern.
Once again, you can see how much she has engaged with vintage scents, and her collaboration with experienced perfumers.
Dave's influence is always delightful.
Often, the ideas for what something could become come from him in these Limited AP scents.
The idea here originated during a walk in Lisbon during the Jacaranda bloom.
For me, already an absolute highlight in 2025.
I am very much looking forward to wearing it in summer and discovering even more in it.

Please dose sparingly, otherwise it could become too much.

The sea carries the scent of paradise in its misty spray.
Juicy mango and passion fruit
blend with floral garlands.
White sand.
Turquoise sea.
Swimming with dolphins.
Above me, ozone.
*
Only in the base is there a hint of coconut to the fruit, not much, but also not entirely ignorable, as well as more sweetness, which takes a bit of the crown off this wonderful scent.
It's still great though.
And maybe it's just the coolness of the evening. This scent needs sun and warmth.
**
Yosh Han had just sailed for 2.5 months and 8000NM in the Pacific and explored the Polynesian islands.
There are numerous pictures of it on her Insta account.
Check them out, and you can imagine how this scent smells.
And then...
Dream of summer once more.

Fragile Tenderness.
Saffron minutes pass in leathery slowness.
Time flows tick tock
like golden honey
from amber-colored veins.
The world holds its incense/myrrh breath.
Eternity stands still.
The flower of life curls around your body,
like the shackles of love.
**
Saffron without rose. That I get to experience this. And a good one at that. Matte. Dry.
In my mind, it evokes a slight leatheriness. Like the fine threads of time, the other notes join in. First honey, dark golden, but not much. By the time the incense/myrrh note arrives, the fragrance has wrapped me around its finger. Very delicate. The myrrh weaves in a subtle, minimal sweetness. The scent begins to live. The clock ticks again. It becomes softer, more balsamic, amber makes the pulse throb.
The curling flower...
Honestly, I don't necessarily smell anything floral, but Maurice Roucel could have drawn it with the fragrance, as it is a little plant that grows in a fragile environment, and its softness comes to light in its healing effect.

You may wonder... She raves so, but 'only' a 9.
This is a fragrance that does not want to be a 10.
Some may not like the fragile opening, may be bothered by saffron when reading the notes, by honey, or the sweetness at the end, and certainly by the price. Surely the fragrance is not something completely new, and yet Maurice Roucel has composed it so precisely that from the unremarkable, it becomes the healing balm.
A drop sprayed on in the evening lasted beautifully on my skin the entire next day, discreet and gorgeous.