House of Puente Galavant

Artisanal perfumer Eliam Puente first came to my attention many years ago – initially, for his original fine art and photography, and then via the online perfume community as a devoted lover of fine fragrance. In 2022, he founded Puente Perfumes; it was my pleasure to sample and review them – his inaugural perfume being the very voluptuous Medusa, which I listed under 2022’s top ten best fragrances.

Eliam Puente of House of Puente

Eliam has built upon each artful launch with subsequent fragrances which were uniquely stirring: the seductive Vespertine and elegantly delicious Iris Doux (J’s top 10 2023); his neroli odalisque EADEN, followed by Mediterranean citrus summer-by-the sea Zotikos. Over the past year, Eliam has rebranded, and the presentation of his growing collection continues to be sophisticated in its minimalism, emphasizing beautiful design in both packaging and composition. Puente Perfumes now goes by the name House Of Puente. Since then, EADEN has been reworked and merits an updated review of its own – and the very-limited edition of Chyprelia (be still, my heart!) appeared on the scene (I dearly hope that Chyprelia will resurface sooner or later): irrefutable evidence of the perfumer’s evolution. His two latest perfumes, Virescence (which I will review at a later date) and Galavant floored me; I chose to review House of Puente Galavant first because of its all-encompassing incandescence. In these increasingly fraught times, comfort is no small thing – and Galavant gladdens a heavy heart; bestows ease with an unstudied grace.

John Everett Millais 1980 The Melting Dew common use

This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms. ~ excerpt from Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, New England poet

House of Puente Galavant revels in the sylvan landscape; it evokes Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais’ and Wadsworth’s forest primaeval. Unlike other forest-inspired fragrances, Galavant chooses to insinuate with an abundance of natural woody elements, rather than trumpet olfactory materials which conjure the odor of industrial-strength cleaners. Eliam counterbalances warm, arid elements with more moist, cool aspects – a seeming aromatic incongruity which works flawlessly in this fragrance. Debate regarding the nature of warmth and coolness may be cited in the eye or nose of the beholder, and often those spices and woods which are described as warm are interpreted in Ayurvedic medicine as possessing a cooling effect: certainly, ylang-ylang and sandalwood smell warming, yet their attributes are those of a cooling character. Coriander and cardamom fall into this category, but nutmeg is perceived as warming. It’s a salient point to ponder as we explore the complementary facets of Galavant.

 Original Art by Eliam Puente

Galavant opens with a tango in which sultry ylang-ylang partners soothing sandalwood, each brimming with a creamy, full-bodied aroma which feels exceptionally grounding. This isn’t a coincidence: both essences are helpful in managing anxiety and harmonizing the mind and spirit. Ylang-ylang is one of those indolic, night-blooming flowers which simmer with sensuality, thinly veiled by heady, banana-nuanced lactonic sweetness; it’s naturally spicy, redolent of the tropics in which it thrives.

Sandalwood’s satiny, balsamic scent profile is well-suited to this honeyed floral, especially in the setting of coriander and other (unspecified) spices which enhance and flesh out Galavant’s exoticism.  The dry warmth of cedar and oak offset vanilla’s candied woodiness, particularly in the presence of the coumarin-rich, haylike caramel which is unique to tonka bean. Tonka’s additional attributes are a lightly herbal tone and tobacco resonance; in concert with the perfume’s other fragrant components, the overall effect is melodious and tenderly complex.

image courtesy of the brand

House of Puente Galavant is a floral woody lullaby, a soul-soothing perfume to be enjoyed throughout the seasons by anyone who craves an intricate, intimate fragrant companion. I found it consoling and beautiful enough to warrant adding it to my (outrageous) perfume collection. I hope that you will experience it for yourselves; the entire panoply of the House of Puente is a delight, and there is something in their selections to tempt all tastes.

Notes: Ylang-ylang, coriander, cedarwood, oakwood, spices, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla

Samples kindly provided by the perfumer – many thanks! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

 House of Puente Galavant 15 ml bottle via website

Thanks to the largesse of perfumer Eliam Puente we have a 15 ml flacon of House of Puente Galavant for one registered reader worldwide. You must register of your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment regarding what appealed to you in Ida’s review of House of Puente Galavant, and where you live. Draw Closes 11/21/2024

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