Hez Binkowitz and Hez Parfums 504 Extrait via the brand

 Operator, please connect me to area code 504, yes, where jazz, blues, history, diversity, and magic, mesh flawlessly, capturing my heart like no other. Hez Parfums 504 is an Extrait and an exquisite tribute to the vibrancy of the Crescent City, with all its charisma on full display. A city that knows how to offset its historic charm with just the right amount of intensity. Hez Binkowitz of Hez Parfums has created a fragrant love letter to NOLA, and I couldn’t wait to explore its depths.

Spirit of NOLA via Sandi AI

Hez Parfums 504 Extrait was the perfect fragrance for me on a cloudy, rain-forecasted afternoon; it was one of those slow days where the humidity hangs in the air like a promise, and within seconds, I was someplace between my closet and the French Quarter. 504 opening is immediate and impassioned. Calabrian bergamot glimmers, nuanced, and slightly floral; a hint of spice weaves through playfully. It’s that first spray that makes me take a deeper breath, and I realize this perfume absolutely gets me just as I get it. A few pulses in, as it warms on my skin, an unexpected yet entirely harmonious note emerges, basil. It adds a trace of green crispness, a little peppery, and fresh.  While adding complexity and depth to the citrus, giving the whole fragrance an unexpected edge that’s playful and stylish. Bitter orange, with its versatility, is warmer and more rounded, with that amber imbued depth that makes it feel like a golden sunset. Together, these top notes make a graceful transition, effervescent and alive, teasing me to stay for the middle.

Perfumer Hez Binkowitz, Perfumer David Falsberg, (and former CaFleureBon Contributor)

“The original release of 504 was in July 2024 in a limited  edition. 504 returns in its new luxury bottle. It is an Extrait de Parfum using ingredients rarely found at this price point. I’m fortunate to have access to some of the world’s scarcest materials through my dear friend and mentor, David Falsberg of Phoenicia Perfumes.”- Hez Binkowitz of Hez Parfums

Ingredients collage by Sandi

Hez Parfums 504 unfurls into its heart, velvet bourbon vanilla and orris butter weaving into something indulgent and sensory, and the ambiance is thick with creativity. There is a creaminess here that is slow and opulent, a sophisticated, boozy note, gratifying, with that feeling of settling into a favorite chair. The orris butter adds a powdery, floral soil richness, giving the vanilla depth and complexity. It’s rich but elegant; people around me lean in, not because it’s loud, but because it feels like a quiet friend.

collage New Orleans via Sandi AI

Underneath that lush center, a deeper, woodier pulse murmurs. Texas cedar brings an earthy, lived-in warmth, a sun-warmed porch’s wood, and the comfortable weight of a well-loved book. Thai oud adds a subtle, resinous, smokiness, with a leathery whisper under current, suggestive rather than aggressive; it is 504’s shadow, the thing that gives it a hint of enigma. The drydown is soft; an enduring white musk smooths the edges; oakmoss lends a subtle forest-floor dampness; and ambergris adds a tasteful whisper, layering in a unique marine hint of luxury while enhancing the other notes.

via Unsplash

Above all, it conjures late-night jazz and alleyway chats, revealing the same exuberant, uninhibited spirit of New Orleans. I appreciate the balance of contrasts in 504; it is bright and effervescent without being frivolous, spiced but not sharp; creamy yet anchored by smoke and cedar. It’s a perfume of dualities that somehow reads as cohesive; this elegance makes it feel alive; it’s not a single statement; it’s an entire conversation. It is a spark that feels both joyous and slightly laid-back. If you know the area code 504, you know what I mean; it smells like New Orleans, equal parts celebration and wistfulness.

There’s also a sensory memory I keep coming back to, walking through the French Quarter as the sun dips: streetlights flick on, a distant trumpet swells, and the air turns from heat to something softer and more suggestive. Maybe I’m romanticizing, probably, but fragrances are, in part, vessels for memory, and Hez Parfums 504 Extrait is particularly adept at conjuring place and mood without veering into cliché. I adore fragrances that evolve, divulging themselves to me slowly, as I discover new details with every wear. 504 is quintessentially New Orleans, spirited yet refined, and just a little mysterious. It invites me to move unhurriedly, pay attention to details, and enjoy each small, radiant moment. As I wear it, I feel both playful and poised, a little daring and wholly myself. If you happen to encounter 504 Extrait de Parfum, I’m curious what stories it will tell you.

Notes: bergamot Calabria, spice, bitter orange, bourbon vanilla, natural Thai oud, orris butter, Texas cedar, oakmoss, ambergris, white musk.

-Sandi Lundberg, Editor

Disclosure: A bottle of Hez Parfums 504 Extrait was offered by the brand. Opinions are my own.

 

Hez Parfums Extrait de Parfum via the brand

Thanks to the generosity of Hez Parfums, we have a 50 ml bottle of 504 Extrait for one registered reader in the USA or the EU. You must register for your entry to be counted. To be eligible, please comment on what sparks your interest in Sandi’s review, and where you live. Draw closes 12/12/2025

504 Extrait will now be in Hez Parfums Signature Collection. Read more reviews for Rue Oud, Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, Cafe Beignet, and Plum Conficture. His Profile in American Perfumery Here. Blue Dog in Steven and Michelyn’s curation of the 3 you should be wearing for Spring 2024. Hez Binkowitz was in Ida’s Top 10 Fragrances 2024: Hardest Working Perfumer.

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