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Notes10/16/2017
The Different Vetiver
First things first - Hats off to Jean-Claude Ellena! I believe no one else could've done this. He is undoubtedly one of greatest contemporary perfumers and also one of my personal favourites of all time. If one could perceive perfumery as music - for the nose, then JC Ellena could be likened to a contemporary composer mainly influenced by impressionist masters like Debussy & Ravel but with strong shades of late romanticism from Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. He takes his main motif/idea and juxtaposes it with some dissonant contrasts while keeping it very minimal and transparent all the time. But at the same time he embellishes each stage of the movement in a very romantic manner choosing very traditional, pleasing, consonant harmonic ornamentation. One can see this across his compositions, especially for the house of Hermes. (I think he probably got the most freedom from this house in terms exploring of his own creativity.) And I think Vetiver Tonka is, arguably, his pièce de résistance.
Vetiver is a grass native to India but is also found in abundance across Haiti, Indonesia, China, Java, and Reunion. The oil extracted from its roots has a distinctively complex scent ranging from wood shavings, wet earth, fresh green grass, roots to ink, licorice, nutty-roasted sugar, and cold-humid air - depending on it's origin. So a perfumer is to not only know what material to use but know each strain of that material intimately well to know what works best for the brief at hand. For instance, in my opinion, the vetiver used here is Bourbon vetiver (Reunion, Madagascar etc) which has more of the nutty, chocolate-y facets. Using Haitian vetiver or another kind would've taken this composition to a completely different place. Ellena takes this main motif of Vetiver & Tonka and gives it a form going from nutty (hazelnuts) to caramel-y/cacoa (praline) to an almost burnt sugar accord. And embellishing this main idea is a touch of flowers (Muguet) in the heart and some soft woods (Sandalwood and cedar probably) in the base just to balance the composition from getting overwhelming. And a dash of tobacco for some contrast and probably to accentuate the dry hay-like facets of tonka beans. Utterly fascinating! It's light, airy, sweet and extremely pleasant to wear. Quite a unique take on this multi-faceted root. Highly recommended if you are open to a different vetiver.
9/10
Vetiver is a grass native to India but is also found in abundance across Haiti, Indonesia, China, Java, and Reunion. The oil extracted from its roots has a distinctively complex scent ranging from wood shavings, wet earth, fresh green grass, roots to ink, licorice, nutty-roasted sugar, and cold-humid air - depending on it's origin. So a perfumer is to not only know what material to use but know each strain of that material intimately well to know what works best for the brief at hand. For instance, in my opinion, the vetiver used here is Bourbon vetiver (Reunion, Madagascar etc) which has more of the nutty, chocolate-y facets. Using Haitian vetiver or another kind would've taken this composition to a completely different place. Ellena takes this main motif of Vetiver & Tonka and gives it a form going from nutty (hazelnuts) to caramel-y/cacoa (praline) to an almost burnt sugar accord. And embellishing this main idea is a touch of flowers (Muguet) in the heart and some soft woods (Sandalwood and cedar probably) in the base just to balance the composition from getting overwhelming. And a dash of tobacco for some contrast and probably to accentuate the dry hay-like facets of tonka beans. Utterly fascinating! It's light, airy, sweet and extremely pleasant to wear. Quite a unique take on this multi-faceted root. Highly recommended if you are open to a different vetiver.
9/10
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