Bergamot fruits, image Wikipedia commons fused with Xerjoff Nio by Michelyn
You are hereby invited to celebrate the marriage of Mlle. Bergamot-Neroli to M. Eau de Cologne at the House of Xerjoff this afternoon. The bride, who hails from Calabria, is attended by maid of honour Jasmine and bridesmaids Cardamom and Pink Pepper. The groom, scion of a venerable Italian family, is joined by best man Patchouli and groomsmen Vetiver and Woods. The couple’s married name hereafter will be Xerjoff Nio. The festivities begin now.
Via Unsplash apped
Xerjoff Nio, part of the brand’s Shooting stars collection, starts the way classical comedy ends; with a symmetrical union of partners and the expectation of happily ever after. Here, jubilant, buoyant citrus, bepetaled with jasmine, stands in for Beatrice, while a traditional, perfectly balanced Eau de Cologne along the lines of Acqua di Parma substitutes for Benedick. The supporting characters are a lively mix of sweet spice, woods and green notes that blend perfectly into the proceedings.
Photo via PXhere
Smelling the sprayer before that first spritz is a slightly dislocating experience: exceedingly green, almost crunchy, its aroma like the smell of thick tropical leaves just broken between your fingers. But as Nio hits the skin, the greenness falls away for a a time, as the fragrance it scatters a gorgeously lifelike bergamot – its bitter lime-rind smell never bettered – and then gives it space to linger and expand. The citrus seems to magnify, becoming fruitier, zestier, more aromatic, and I get a small hit of vetiver. There’s a flirty tickle of pink pepper to amplify the zing, and then, just as things are trending barbershop … the neroli sweeps in a profusion of creamy, soapy white flowers. Curling around the bergamot, its soft floral bouquet acts as a girlish counterpart to its sharper partner. While the opening notes persist, more is going on quietly in the background and the scenery is changing. In its middle, Nio becomes gradually greener, drier, as if we’ve walked from a lush citrus grove down a dusty country path. This is not the same green I detected from the sprayer; it is less overtly crisp, more diffuse, like the aroma of tall grasses and trees as you move past them. On the embankments, a tangle of jasmine trills faintly on a friendly breeze as you head into the woods. As the light deepens, the sweet, musky smell of cardamom and nutmeg filter in, and an earthy but surprisingly light base of patchouli and cedar. Nio’s unique brilliance is in the way it elongates the bergamot and neroli by pairing them with notes that emphasize the perfume’s unmistakable, high-class eau de cologne pedigree while adding dimension. Xerjoff Nio treads a middle path precisely between masculine and feminine, on par with the great classic eau de colognes from Chanel and Guerlain. Xerjoff Nio eau de parfum and has a quality I thought I’d never find in a citrus fragrance: it lasts, even in the heat. It is one of the great citruses of the 2000s, and I sincerely hope Xerjoff keeps it around forever.
Notes: Tunisian neroli, Calabrian bergamot, jasmine, cardamom, nutmeg, pink pepper, green leaves, cedar, gaiac wood, Haitian vetiver, Indian patchouli, amber.
Disclaimer: Bottle of Xerjoff Nio generously provided by Eden Square. My opinions are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Photo of Xerjoff Nio, photo by Lauryn
Thanks to the generosity of Eden Square, U.S. distributors for Xerjoff, we have a 50 ml tester bottle/ $275 for one registered reader in the U.S. only. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Xerjoff Nio based on Lauryn’s review and whether you have a favourite Xerjoff perfume. Draw closes 2/22/21.
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