Serge Lutens – Collection Noire – Vétiver Oriental

Serge Lutens – Collection Noire – Vétiver Oriental

Vetiver Oriental is really quite a special take on vetiver. A smoky, almost meaty gaiac wood note plays up the earthy, smoky nuances naturally present in vetiver root, while its rich, rosy nuttiness, almost as oily as crushed hazelnuts, is accentuated further with a note of velvety but bitter dark cocoa. Gourmand and yet not, sweet and yet also earthy and quite bitter, this scent is a master class on how to fine-tune a scent until it is in perfect balance.

Iris adds a creamy dimension to the heart, that shoots the earthiness of the other notes through with a silvery, flickering moonlight. Oakmoss plays up the cooling, vegetal side of vetiver root, and reminds us of its origins in the wet marshy ponds of India and Haiti. Also unmistakable in this fragrance is the thread of ambery labdanum that runs through it, adding a spicy, resinous glaze to everything. But the final taste is of a chocolately iris powder that joins with the grassiness of the vetiver to both cool our brow and sweeten our tongue at the same time. Beautiful, haunting, and remarkable, Vetiver Oriental is a vetiver scent to be reckoned with. Every vetiver fan should try it.

Notes: iris, vetiver, gaiac wood, chocolate, musk, amber, sandalwood, labdanum