Pierre Guillaume Paris - PG26 - Isparta
Family: Oriental Chypre
Isparta is the name of a province in Turkey famed for its production of a very special rose oil, extracted from a varietal called "Isparta Summer Rose". This beautiful rose grows in gardens and on terraces on the rocky mountain slopes of the province. Picked early in the morning, the Isparta rose retains its rich, distinctive, and slightly spicy character. This oriental, floral chypre sets about capturing the full, spicy warmth of the Isparta rose but also the aroma of the warm stones, rocks, and mineral-rich soil in which it grows.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE
The rose stands out proudly here - rich and jammy, but with an interestingly metallic, fruity edge provided by raspberries. The rose and fruit is set deep within a cloud of incense smoke from burning resins, namely a citrusy-green frankincense and a powdery, vanillic benzoin.
For the first half of the scent, the rose note dances between smoke, spice, and fruit. Behind the curtain of rose and resin, there is a rich, velvety oud note - subtly sour, smoky, and woody. The noble oud note forms the backbone of the scent and lends it its mystery, but never dominates.
Finally, towards the end, the rose, resins, and smoke die back to reveal an aroma of dark, damp earth (the patchouli) and lichen-covered rocks (the moss). This is where the scent shows us where the roots of the Isparta rose is planted - in the harsh, rocky soil of the mountain slope. This rose had to grow strong and hard to survive. In its dying moments, a whisper of cashmere-like ambroxan wraps the roots of this hardy rose in a tender, ambery embrace
