Lavender in Provence II Karen D’angeac digitalized for Lavande Romaine
“Lavender is the soul of Haute Provence” ~ Maître Parfumeur Jean-Claude Ellena
That native Grasseois Maître Parfumeur Jean-Claude Ellena should be Perris Monte Carlo’s first choice of nose for their Les Parfums de Grasse Collection should come as no mystery. His family has a long Provençal lineage, and his comprehension and appreciation of its terroir are both intuitive and encyclopedic. I had been thrilled to smell his Jasmin de Pays and Rose de Mai (reviewed by our lovely Senior Editor Despina Veneti) at Esxence 2019. Gifted Senior Editor Lauryn Beer has recently reviewed his Mimosa Tanneron. The very minute that I discovered the existence of Perris Monte Carlo Lavande Romaine I felt compelled to revel in it.
Folio edition of Jean Giono book Provence
“At harvest time, evenings are filled with its aroma… and the sunset is coloured by the newly cut flowers strewn over the fields. The humble alembics installed near the reservoirs glow with red flames into the night.” ~ author Jean Giono, (native son of Manosque) from his book Provence
Painting by Jennifer Vranes
I have harbored a lifelong love affair with lavender, despite the plain fact that my mother didn’t cultivate it in her garden – ever. Perhaps precisely because I was raised by the train tracks, flora developed into an ongoing passion; the myriad aromas of multiple cuisines and flowering plants which assailed my greedy nostrils were carefully chosen. Little flourishes in the inner city without deliberate care – and the rare stalks of lavender which found their way into a random sparse garden filled me with inner tranquility. Older women, both elegant and down-at-the-heel – wafted discreet waves of Yardley’s English Lavender cologne. My nose and I followed unquestioningly, as if ensorcelled: something soothingly cool, wild yet well-ordered grabbed me by the collar and I followed blindly. Sometimes it smelt floral; other moments it seemed an herbal tonic, an olfactory digestif. The singular constant was an overwhelming sense of well-being which lingered long after its tender trail faded into cursory powder like a phantom. Fast forward to age seventeen – when I wended my way to Provence and les Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on my own dime (and steam): intoxicatingly independent and footloose. Vestiges of Roman ruins and wild herbs, wildflowers under bare foot, rocky terrains, the howling of the mistral about my ears. Goats on the hillsides as free as you like, nibbling the abundance which then suffused their milk, cheese. I felt as if I’d come home to roost. And of course, the lavender. The blessed humble lavender, ever-obliging, well able to thrive in rough soil and challenging climes.
Jean-Claude Ellena via Getty Images
In Perris Monte Carlo Lavande Romaine, Jean-Claude Ellena has achieved that for which he is renowned: an extraordinary ability to showcase a familiar material with new brilliance and an unjaundiced eye – much as a master diamond cutter facets the stone to reveal more than is initially perceived. He introduces elements of surprise which may later feel completely natural; why hadn’t someone else thought of this before?
B&B Family Farm copper alembic filled with lavender
The finest lavender possible is employed – and believe me, there are so many highly-nuanced lavenders that are cultivated, it would make your head spin. Whichever it is (or if several are utilized, for that matter), it’s vivid and exuberant upon first contact and full-bodied. You are awake and Lavender has your full attention – for awhile. There’s a lot of activity; lavender vacillates between exhibiting her floral visage – amped up by black currant, a complex companion at best. By this I refer to the subtleties of cassis: straight out of the vial, the absolute is intensely sulfuric and redolent of cat urine, one of those aromatic materials which delights in dilution. Its fruity charm enhances lavender’s floral aspects, recalling echoes of Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau. But wait! Now it feels herbal because Atlas cedar has lent a balsamic terpenic edge, rendering lavender a bit spikier, a tad rougher. Sometimes the sulfur and terpenes behave strangely in combination and I find it more challenging and animalic. It isn’t the ‘white musk’ effect; that’s more of an angel wing impression to me. I know how perverse cassis can be when she chooses – and during several separate wearings she has come on very strongly. Today’s airing is distinctly different; there’s an immortelle-like effect which I’m experiencing, a molten, slightly bittersweet, hay-like herbalcy which is both alluring and off-putting. Today Lavande Romaine smells far prettier than during previous samplings. I’ve worn this five times since it arrived, and it’s never the same twice. That alone makes it a fascinating study and worth trying.
Whatever your personal experience with Perris Monte Carlo Lavande Romaine, it will never be humdrum or boring: this new composition dances under the blazing sun of Haute Provence, redolent of high summer and vast, sparsely populated open spaces.
Notes: lavender, blue Atlas cedar, bourgeons de cassis (black currant), white musk
~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor
Bottle generously provided by Perris Monte Carlo – many thanks! I treasure it and promise to share. My nose is my own…
Perris Monte Carlo Lavande Romaine image by Roberto Greco©
Thanks to the generosity of Perris Monte Carlo and Ida we have a 5 ml decant of Lavande Romaine for one registered reader in the USA . To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Lavande Romaine based on Ida’s review. Draw closes 8/18/2020
Available at Perris Monte Carlo Jovoy Paris Parfums Rare and other fine stockists; at the time of this post it is not available in the USA but will be arriving soon.
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