NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEWS Maria Candida Gentile Classic Collection + Reader’s Choice Draw

I think as an American perfume reviewer it becomes very easy for me to keep my eyes trained on the bounty of independent perfumers that abound close to home. Particularly in the past year I have been presented with the opportunity to broaden that vision. To cast it across oceans to discover new indie perfumes on almost every continent. The latest perfumer to help cure me of my myopia is Maria Candida Gentile. After my colleague, Sergey Borisov’s, interview with her she sounded like an artist of singular will who imposed that vision on her creations. I soon ended up with the six fragrances which make up Mme Gentile’s Classic Collection in front of me and over the course of a couple of weeks let them impose their will and Mme Gentile’s vision upon me. A couple of them have left indelible imprints.

Barry Lyndon is based on the movie of the same name directed by another willful creator Stanley Kubrick. When the movie was released it was received with moderate success and reviews. Only over the years has it risen to become one of the consensus great movies of all-time. The fragrance by Mme Gentile I don’t believe will need time to be appreciated as it is spellbinding from the first moments. The top notes of lavender and artemesia are what draw you in. The lavender used is said to be Stoechas Lavender which is only found at high altitude in the Alps.  This lavender in combination with the artemesia creates a mostly herbal opening that has a recessive bit of floral genetics floating around. Other less floral florals like heather and arnica also arise. All of this leads to a leather and vetiver base that creates the smell of a saddle over the grassiness of the pasture. This is a completely realized vision by Mme Gentile and it shows.

Cinabre is also called Dragon Blood and Mme Gentile starts this off with a bit of fire in the group of pink and black pepper along with a full ration of ginger. The early going is a rush of flame. The flame all but disappears as rose dominates the heart and it turns Cinabre quite powdery. Vanilla and benzoin act to contrast the powderiness but after the early spicy blast Cinabre became a mostly rose fragrance on my skin. I think I would have liked a bit more fire but the rose is beautiful and one that those of you who are rose fanatics will like.

Exultat was inspired by the fragrance used to purify wedding linens of ash and lavender. What is funny is there is no ash or lavender. What there is is a sublime mix of incense, violet, and vetiver. The incense is there right from the start and it is balanced and made less arid by the addition of some citrus. You really have to pull yourself away from the incense to notice the citrus but it is there to lighten up the incense and keep it from overwhelming the composition. I love the sharp character of violet and violet leaf and in Exultat Mme Gentile extracts every bit of that scalpel-like quality out of her ingredients and they slice through the incense with an astringent slash. Vetiver and cedar, but mostly vetiver, adds a woodiness to ground the incense and violet. As Exultat lingered throughout the day I found it kept presenting itself to my senses slightly differently and it made the wearing of this fragrance that much more special.

Gershwin feels like it shares much of Exulatat’s genetics as citrus and incense play a big part in its development. This time though the violet is not there and Mme Gentile tilts to a much more woody composition comprised of sycamore and sandalwood. Gershwin is a nice fragrance and for someone for whom Exulatat might be a little too extroverted Gershwin feels like Exultat’s less outgoing but perhaps more easy going little brother.

Hanbury is Mme Gentile’s paean to Dorothy Hanbury’s garden at Villa Hanbury in Ventimiglia. It is comprised of familiar accords that hearken back to other fragrant Mediterranean gardens. The top is a fresh citrus dominated by lime. The heart is comprised of a calycanthus, which is an intensely sweet floral accord, paired with acacia. A golden honey accord is crossed with benzoin to create a sweetly resinous base to Hanbury. The calycanthus is what makes Hanbury unique among the Mediterranean garden family of fragrances and is what makes it worth seeking out.

Sideris was inspired by a midnight walk along the beach. The fragrance feels like it is born of the shank of the night when the tide is slowly returning and the stars fill the sky. Mme Gentile fills the opening with incense, myrrh, and saffron to create mystery and the sense of midnight to me. Rose makes up the heart but where it was all powdery in Cinabre; in Sideris the slightly spicy aspects of rose are enhanced and that powdery quality is firmly shoved to the background. Benzoin recapitulates the resinous aspects of the incense and myrrh and sandalwood provides a base for that reminder to vibrate against. Sideris is a fragrance to look up into the sky, at the darkest hour, and revel in its possibilities.

For fragrances composed only of natural essences all of these fragrances have outstanding longevity and above average sillage.

Mme Gentile has once again helped me to sharpen my vision and remember creativity has no borders and the only hindrance to experiencing these artists is the price of the postage. In the case of Maria Candida Gentile pay the price I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Maria Candida Gentile.

Thanks to Maria Candida Gentile we are able to offer a Reader’s Choice draw of 15mL of any of the Classic Collection. Just leave a comment with which one you would like to try. We will draw one winner on February 19, 2012 via random.org.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.

Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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46 comments

  • Love the names of the fragrances…….Cinabre is the one calling my name. Thank yo for the fun draw.

  • All sound inviting; Gershwin appeals most with its citrus/incense/sandalwood. Thanks for writing about Maria and her Classic Collection!

  • interesting fragrances and beautiful names
    I’m drawn mostly towards Sideris
    thanks for the article and for the draw

  • I would like to try Barry Lyndon, I loved the movie and a lavender herbal perfume with a leather, vetiver base sounds great.

  • What an interesting review, Mark! If I’m the lucky winner, Exultat is the one that calls my name. Thank you for the draw!

  • I would love to try them all as I haven’t got the chance yet but the one that caught my attention is Sideris.
    Thank you for the draw!

  • I am challenged by lavender and artemisia for a long time now. It seems that soliflores of lavender are too sweet, and these of artemisia – too bitter or bland for my taste. And nothing have suited me yet. That’s why I choose Barry Lyndon in order to check its combo, especially how the herbs work with the intriguing leather-vetyver base.
    Thank you for the draw! All the fragrances sound promising and special.

  • Funny, I was concidering a blind buy from MCG and here is this post. Collective unconscious?

    It is still not clear to me: is there a natural sycamore essense? I hope someone can clarify this for me. I would like to try Gershwin even if only to smell sycamore for myself.

  • They all sound so interesting! It’s quite challenging to pick one, but I think I will go for Hanbury. Somehow, this one speaks to me the most.

  • Please keep me out of the draw, I’m not competing!

    I just wanted to reply to Amer on behalf of Maria Candida Gentile.
    There is not such a thing as a sycamore essence. In Gershwin you will find a sycamore note made by Maria Candida, only with naturals, of course.

    Thanks everybody for your interest!

  • Very interesting article! I would like to try the Sideris, because of incense and because of “midnight walk along the beach”.
    Thank you for the draw! 🙂

  • I’d like to try Hanbury. All of them sound fantastic but I the words Mediterranean gardens are calling to me 🙂 Thanks!

  • Thank you for covering these fragrances, I was very curious about them and many sound absolutely gorgeous, but I think the one calling the loudest would be Sideris, because of it’s incense, myrrh and saffron notes.
    Thank you to MCG and Ca Fleure Bon for this generous draw.

  • Thank you for the interesting article & for the great draw 🙂
    I’d love to test Hanbury, because it sounds so delicious & uplifting.

  • Such a difficult choice! Exultat sounds so provocative, Hanbury is dreamy and Sideris has exactly the notes I love. What to do? What to do? Exultat!

    Thank you for a great post and a wonderful draw!

  • Great review Mark and thanks for the draw!
    I definitely would pick Sideris it sounds amazing and since the fragrances are all natural I’m very excited to try them all.

  • Anna in Edinburgh says:

    I’ve been daydreaming over the choices on Maria Candida Gentile’s tempting website and, now that push has come to shove, I’m still torn!

    Cinabre, Hanbury and Sideris are vying for my heart so I’ll plump for Cinabre and send this before I change my mind again!

  • I think I would like Exultat, Gershwin, or Sideris. In the unlikely event that I should have to make a choice, I think the dilemma could be resolved with a couple of coin flips.

  • You want me to pick just one? Ok ok if I must… Sideris would be a good bet for me but by no means is it the only one I’d like to try. What a great find this new brand seems to be.
    thanks for the review and the draw!
    fingers crossed!

  • What a really HARD decision…just one? *sighs* Okay here it goes:

    After much contemplation (wheedling the candidates down to Sideris and B. Lyndon) and weighing of notes and wonderful reviews…I really think that Barry Lyndon would suit me the best.

    Thanks to Mme. Gentile and CaFleureBon for the lovely draw!

  • I would lik to try Hanbury, and please Mme. Gentile a sample set of the entire line that you could buy would be wonderful!

  • donna s kopenhaver says:

    Exultat is exciting with the cedar. I love a citrus scent this is the one for me. Thanks

  • So lovely! I am torn between Exultat and Sideris; would go with Sideris just for the poetic description of ‘a fragrance to look up into the sky, at the darkest hour, and revel in its possibilities.’
    That is an awesome review!

  • Barry Lindon and Sideris sound quite good for me… i’m probably getting 15ml of both…

    Longevity and sillage is quite important for me… i hope Mark is right when he says longevity is outstanding.

  • By coïncidence, I just sampled Cinabre today and was surprised by the quality and the elegance of this fragrance. So now, I want more!
    Sideris, Barry Lindon and Hanbury look very interesting…