Xerjoff La Capitale Review (Chris Maurice) 2018 + a jammy summer giveaway

July 21, 2022July 21, 2022

Xerjoff La Capitale by Olya Bar©

When summer is in full blast, I crave all things involving fruits. I want my fragrances juicy and uplifting, I want to practically bathe in all things that make me feel happy. I want the sun to liquify itself into my perfume. I fell in love the first time I ever smelled Xerjoff La Capitale. Utterly delicious, sticky sweet, as if you just bit into those caramel apples at a holiday fair, festive and bright, it’s impossible to let this olfactory gem go unnoticed.

Sergio Momo the founder and creative director of Xerjoff and the Xerjoff Universe since 2004 has appealed to avid collectors and perfumistos; it’s impossible not to notice that with every release, Sergio Momo manages to keep us on our toes and I have the utmost respect for the level of creativity that requires. It’s great to see multiple fragrance releases all use imagination and most importantly high quality ingredients. Every new Xerjoff project offers something different to experience, always revealing a hidden facet to explore. I remembered my first encounter with Xerjoff fragrances back in 2011, the early years of niche exploration, and it was a memorable one. I could never forget how invigorating that gin and tonic vibe felt when I first smelled Renaissance 1861.

Xerjoff La Capitale by Olya Bar©

Inspired by the heart of Russia, La Capitale is a refined perfume glorifying the charm of the country rich in art, history, and culture. And at the same time to celebrate the modernity and romanticism of Moscow, a metropolis made of thousands of different districts with its own tales to tell and charms to spell.

Strawberries and Peaches via Unsplash

The opening of Xerjoff La Capitale smells like a gorgeous take on a tart strawberry jam with a hint of overripe peach mixed into it. Full-bodied with an aftertaste of a beautifully aged port. You immediately pick up on leathery facets and a touch of smoky Oud in the background, adding a resinous feeling to the fragrance’s heart. If the opening is sweet and a blast full of fruits, then the heart is all about aromatic spices of leather rubbed with Iranian saffron until it gets a deep yellow hue and a spicy sweet aroma. A pinch of ginger let the base melt into the soft, slightly balsamic benzoin and delicious vanilla bourbon. La Capitale is an explosively fruity, mouthwatering affair of caramel-dipped strawberries and smoky woods. A marvelous composition that isn’t afraid to show it’s ready to play. This one has a free spirit and a character that’s hard to contain. Slightly flamboyant yet irresistibly charismatic.

Xerjoff La Capitale by Olya Bar©

A true Slavic combination of the smoky and slightly oily aroma of leather boots, dry, warm air of the wooden house, and a cup of steaming tea served with none other but a traditional strawberry jam or, as most people from the Soviet Union call it “varenje”. As kids, my cousins and I were the responsible parties for gathering the harvest every summer so our grandmothers could make the jam for everyone to savor during the long and cold winter months.

Countryside via Unsplash

Sweet, slightly spicy, the combination of these flavors brings back some beautiful childhood memories. Soviet kids will always have a soft spot for strawberries, whether fresh or in a jam. All berries were available only in the summer season and tasted so good we would stuff our bellies with them until we couldn’t move anymore. This kid is all grown up now but still has fond memories of that pungent, juicy scent of the ripe crimson strawberries in the bowl, and the careless attitude of childhood. Yet now she is clad in a caramel shade silk dress, and has a taste for all things luxury and exquisite because after all that’s what Xerjoff always stood for.

Notes: Strawberry, Peach, Labdanum, Caramel, Rose & Amber, Leather, Iranian Saffron, Ginger, Oud, Benzoin, Vanilla Bourbon

The perfume was kindly gifted to me but opinions are always my own.

–Olya Bar, Editor

Thanks to Europerfumes, we are offering a 50ml tester of Xerjoff La Capitale for one registered CaFleureBon reader in the USA ONLY (if you are not sure if you are registered click here.). You must register or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please tell us what appealed to you about Olya’s review of Xerjoff La Capitale and if you have a favorite from the brand. Draw closes 07/24/22

Xerjoff La Capitale is in the Shooting Stars Collection.

Please read Micheyn Camen’s Interview with Sergio Momo here

Available to test or buy at Twistedlily.com

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