Exaltatum Pergola with statuette by therunnybunny via Etsy, photo by The Perfumed Dahlia
Eglija Vaitkevice of Exaltatum is an independent, artisan perfumer living in London who blends the power of myth with the highest quality, ethically sourced ingredients to create classic French compositions.
Eglija Vaitkevice of Exaltatum photo courtesy of Exalatum
With regard to Exaltatum Pergola Eglija Vaitkevice shared, “The Pergola is a mysterious place in Hampstead Heath Park, where many films were filmed and happy Londoners enjoy and relax. It’s a very poetic and romantic place. Since young age I discovered English literature and poetry through master Lord George Gordon Byron. His quote “I love not man less, but nature more” describes my passion and love of Nature. I love movies and theatre. I always endeavor to create perfumes that are like theatrical characters. This time, Lord Narcissus and Lady Tuberosa are playing main characters.”
Pergola photo by d Bossarte via Pixaby
The word “pergola” originated from the Latin pergula, which was a projecting eave. Today, a pergola refers to an outdoor garden feature, typically a wooden structure that frames a walkway like an open-beamed roof. Wisteria, grapes, or other climbers are often trained to grow up the posts that support pergola cross-beams, enhancing the shade and sometimes adding flowers. Typically, a garden or outdoor space featuring a pergola would tend to be very orderly—sculpted, with designated areas for carefully considered activities. But a wildness lurks in those climbing plants that grow up and through the pergola beams—if they are not trimmed and maintained, those plants will eventually drag the entire structure to the ground. Exaltatum Pergola feels like an acknowledgement of that wildness within any garden or outdoor space—perhaps even a tribute to the Horae, specifically the three of those Greek goddesses responsible for manifesting the order of nature.
Galbanum photo by MarjanNo via PIxaby
Exaltatum Pergola opens with a fizzy burst of bright green galbanum, white and yellow florals adding a dewy sweetness as hyacinth and lily-of-the-valley hint at springtime. In this opening stage, Exaltatum Pergola is safely within that tamed garden, with jasmine flowers and ivy weaving artfully through the lattice of a study pergola, daffodils at its base. But then, Exaltatum Pergola opens its maw and the fragrance shifts. No longer a tame, sculpted garden, this is a hedge gone wild. The scale and scope of the galbanum is breathtaking, now seeming to reflect an epic, awed worship of nature rather than a gentler appreciation of an artfully designed garden. The initially fizzy galbanum radiates glorious green divinity while Exaltatum Pergola takes on a broader sense of a sparkling field, rife with dried vetiver and hay, dotted with wildflowers, and humming with untamed magic. Instead of hearkening back to the 1950s or 1970s, this galbanum feels timeless—perhaps even divine.
Photosforyou via Pixaby
The three Horae of nature were called Thallo, Auxo, and Carpo, representing spring, summer, and autumn respectively. Exaltatum Pergola might have started with a nod to Thallo, the Hora of spring greenery, buds, and flowers—ancient Athenians believed she would accompany Persephone each year when she returned from a winter spent with Hades in the Underworld. But as it opens, Exaltatum Pergola accelerates through spring, tumbling headlong into a resplendent summer manifested by Auxo, the Hora of growth. It’s a time-lapse of small green shoots pushing through cracks, climbing up posts, and squeezing—until the manmade structure crumbles, letting unfettered greenery exult in the sunlight.
Notes: Bergamote, petitgrain, green notes, grass, ginger, narcissus, tuberose, jasminum grandiflorum, violet leaves, myrtle, lily-of-the-Valley, English ivy, ylang-ylang, galbanum, hyacinth, reseda, hay absolute, clary sage, patchouli, vetiver, styrax, beeswax, tree moss.
Disclaimer: A 15ml bottle of Pergola was provided by Exaltatum for this review. My opinions are my own.
Dalya Azaria, Senior Contributor
Exaltatum Pergola, photo by The Perfumed Dahlia
Thanks to the generosity of Exaltatum, there is a 15ml bottle of Exaltatum Pergola for one registered reader in the U.S., UK or EU. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Pergola based on Dalya’s review, whether you have a favorite Exaltatum fragrance, and where you live. Are you a fan of galbanum and intensely green fragrances? Draw closes 3/11/21
Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon @theperfumeddahlia @exaltatum_parfum @eglija_is_laisves
Available at Exaltatum to buy or to purchase samples here. Also available at Indigo Perfumery in the USA
This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy.
We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like Çafleurebon and use our blog feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.