In 2011, Mark Behnke reviewed six Eau de Toilette fragrances from a niche perfume house named Phaedon-Paris.  Of the six Eau de Toilettes Mark thought the most interesting were Cendres de The and Dzhari  created by Pierre Guillaume, the perfumer and founder of Parfumerie Generale and Huitieme Art Parfums. In 2013, Phaedon-Paris joined  the company Guillaume Diffusion, also owned by Pierre Guillaume. Five Eaux de Parfum have been added to the collection, beautifully repackaged in apothecary style smoked glass flacons and composed by guest perfumers Anne-Cecile Douveghan, Daniele Maniquant,  and Catherine N`Guyen (Pierre Guillaume created two).

LA COLLECTION

Eau de Parfum  Haute / High Concentration/30 percent/3.4 oz

Tabac Rouge is a quintessentially Art Deco composition. Turkish tobacco absolute and incense make up the core accord, spare, dry and perfectly balanced. As in Tamara de Lempicka’s paintings, the “color” palette is pared-down and vibrant: ginger, cinnamon and a lick of honey. In the base notes, musks, bolstered by warm, powdery Siam benzoin, blend the scent with your skin. Androgynous, stylized and luxurious.Turkish Tobacco Absolute / Incense / Ginger / Cinnamon / Honey / Benzoin / Musk.

Pure Azure-This giddy balancing act of a scent carries us high above the cliffs of the Aegean Sea, where azure skies contrast with the blinding whiteness of fishermen’s villages… The fragrance of fig trees and orange blossom, the warmth of vanilla and spices, the sensuousness of jasmine rise from the shores of the Mediterranean. In the base notes, the mouth-watering warmth of tonka bean is brought out by a delicately salty note. A “Mediterranean Oriental” hovering between the radiant and the animal…Figtree / Orange Blossom / Vanilla / Jasmine / Tonka Bean / Salty Note.

Is this a fresh Oriental or a fruity chypre? The sparkling, bright Antigua  by Perfumer Pierre Guillaume is hard to classify. It opens with a fresh, quirky burst of bergamot, grapefruit, lime and guava. Rose oil, fig leaf and white peaches underline the extreme femininity of the fragrance in the heart notes. A warm and sensuous drydown of musk and vanilla slowly unveils patchouli, cedar wood, vetiver and oak moss.Bergamote/ Grapefruit / Guava / Rose / Figleaves / White Peach / Patchouli / Vetiver / Cedarwood / Oakmoss / Vanilla.

Built around the contrast between fresh and woody notes, Black Vetiver rises like a black cloud mixing smoky Java vetiver, tar fumes and lemon tree leaves. The perfume has added to this classic note the warm, mineral tinges of a subtle “tar” accord blending two exceptional materials: pimiento and Jamaican vetiver. A genuinely masculine scent, bracing and elegant.Vetiver from Java / Lemontree leaves / Warm Tar Note

Rouge Avignon by Perfumer Pierre Guillaume–  A Gothic composition, as opulent and dark as the shadow of the Papal Palace looming over nations and centuries… The carmine red of the papal stole is conjured with a fleshy, spicy rose facetted by ylang-ylang and raspberry. In the heart notes, waxed woods, cocoa bean, black truffle and earthy smoky vetiver lure us into the private apartments of the Supreme Pontiff. Gilt moldings and religious ornaments glint in the firelight while gray tendrils of smoke rise from a censer burning sandalwood chips mixed with musk and amber.Rose / Ylang-Ylang / Rapsberry / Cocoa Bean / Black Truffle / Vetiver / Sandalwood / Musk / Amber.

Hesperys-According to Greek myth, the Garden of the Hesperides lay at the Western edge of the world. To conjure the many plants of this legendary garden, the perfumer conceived a fresh, aromatic yet powdery scent revolving around an orris butter and chamomile accord brightened with lemon and orange tree petitgrain, infused with a subtle aromatic blend of sage, rosemary and lavender. Buoyed by the natural fruitiness of musks and patchouli, the fragrance is slowly warmed by the spicy facets of red thyme, coriander and nutmeg. Radiant and suave, this is a limpid, easy-to-wear scent.Orris / Chamomille / Lemon Tree leaves / Orange / Sage / Rosemary / Lavander / Patchouly / Red Thyme / Nutmeg / Musk .

Sable Marocain-This spectacular Oriental scent is inspired by the pageantry of the Moroccan Fantasia, an equestrian joust under the burning sun. With its ambery, animalic and floral facets, Moroccan labdanum resinoid dominates the composition. The warm radiance of coca leaves, citrus and ginger sheds its light on a woody, balsamic and smoky base of cocoa, vetiver, guaiac wood and Copahu balsam. As powerful and majestic as a galloping thoroughbred. Labdanum / Cocoa Bean / Ginger / Vetiver / Gaiacwood / Copahu Balm

In addition to the new Eaux de Parfum, there is an extensive home fragrance collection and the Eau de Toilette line has  upped the concentration to 14 percent, added  Lentisque and  discontinued Rue de Lilas and Coton Egyptien. The line has  fourteen scents, eight home fragrances and eleven candles and debuted at Sens-Unique in Paris April 25, 2013.

 The complete collection is now available at Osswald NYC , which at this time is the sole US stockist. The EDPs are $175 and the EDTs are $132. All are 100 ml/ 3.4 oz

–Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

 They all seem very intriguing.  I would like to try them all, but Tabac Rouge, Sable Morocain and  Antigua top my "must sniff" list. Which appeal to you?

Source: Phaedon Paris and Fragrantica interview with Pierre Guillaume by former CaFleureBon contributor Serguey Borisov.