It is no secret how I feel about Bertrand Duchaufour. He created my favorite perfume ever, quite a feat considering the size of my collection (and no, I am not getting tired mentioning it any time soon, Frapin 1697, there you are.) So when he comes out with something new, which is not exactly a rare occurrence – but there is nothing wrong with being prolific (something I get accused of regularly as well) – I want to try it.
Eau d’Italie is a line composed entirely of Duchaufour perfumes, so there is a lot to do here for me. The latest – the eighth – offering is Jardin du Poète, a perfume inspired by Sicily, and it is a great starting point to work my way through this line starting with the newest.
Eau d’Italie was originally a perfume designed exclusively for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of one hotel, the beautiful Le Sirenuse in Positano, Italy. Eau d’Italie – the fragrance, was the first of the line released in 2004. Seven more perfumes have followed since, along with body care products for Eau d’Italie.
Jardin du Poète was created By Bertrand Duchaufour over the last two years, according to press materials, and released this spring. It features notes of orange, grapefruit, basil, angelica, immortelle, pink pepper, cypress, vetiver and musk.
Jardin du Poète starts with a lovely, bracing citrus and herbal accord. The basil and grapefruit reminds me initially of Sisley Eau de Campagne (by JCE), but the resemblance is only short lived. Jardin du Poète moves on into more floral territory soon. At least the immortelle in the heart smells very fresh and floral to me. Immortelle can be very dusty and dry, very sweet and honeyed, not here though. The cypress and a little peppery kick keep it light and airy and – I can’t say anything else – fresh, to the point of almost watery. It last very well for such a light fragrance, which pleases me no end.
Jardin du Poète brings to mind early morning walks through dew-drenched grass along a lake, slowly being warmed by the rising sun, taking a nap in the shade of an age-old tree, watching the sun coming up over gently rolling hills and feeling carefree and happy.
And do you want to know the best part? My husband fully approves of Jardin du Poète. From someone who usually runs the other way when he is asked to smell something, and whose highest praise amounts to “It is okay, I guess, not so bad like the others”, getting a a positively poetic “Oh, that smells good, what is it?”, is unheard of and only ever experienced here.
So what else can I say, than I highly recommend Jardin du Poète as a wonderfully light, but tenacious, beautifully done and interesting summer scent?
Exactly.
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Lovely review! “a wonderfully light, but tenacious, beautifully done and interesting summer scent” sounds utterly divine. The only one I’ve tried so far is Baume du Doge, which I think is wonderful (it reminds me of PG Bois Blonde, which I adore)! You know, I had no idea BD composed all of them… I feel particularly thankful that he is so prolific! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Baume du Doge sounds so nice, the name alone attracts me…
Your lovely review is actually making me inspired to mow the lawn! And that’s an especially good thing, as this is the first day in over a week that it isn’t raining cats and dogs. As I work my way through the more-than-dew-soaked, foot-long grass, I’ll try fantasizing that I’m in a garden in Italy. 🙂
Haha, I am glad that this review had such practical consequences. Mowing a garden in Italy is surely a pleasurable thing! 🙂
IF YOU LIKE SUMMER SCENTS, PLEASE TRY BEACH BY BOBBI BROWN.
*AMAZING*
I ALSO LIKE BG AND BG SOLEIL.
I know BB Beach, wore it for many summers in the past actually, and BG – love! 🙂
I spoke with Eau d’Italie’s owner at Esxence, the niche perfumery exposition that takes place yearly in my hometown, Milan, last March and he told me that Au Lac isn’t by BD, but by Alberto Morillas…. I have very mixed feelings towards this line, I find most of the fragrances, except Sienne l’Hiver and Bois d’Ombrie which are really weird and stunning, more interesting as concepts (though not a patriot myself, I must admit that my country provides exceptionally beautiful landscapes and towns, so a due homage is welcomed) than actually interestingly smelling. Some fragrances recall, sometimes too closely, in my opinion, fragrances that BD has accomplished more fully for other lines (Magnolia Romana and AP Fleur de Liane, for example, or the treatment of incense and spices in Baume du Doge or Eau d’Italie and in Dzonghka, Timbuktu and the CDG Incense series…).
I quickly smelled the Jardin and found it very refreshing and evocative, I loved the basil note expecially.
Wow, you were at Exscence, how great! I would have loved to be there.
As I said Jardin du Poète is my first from the line, so I cannot speak about the others yet, and I’ll keep your remarks in mind.
Thank you!
Green? Check. Tenacious? Check. Basil? Check. Immortelle? Check.
OK, now that this one has checked off all my summery boxes…it goes on the short list, which is, in fact, short! 😉
From your lovely review, it sounds perfect for summer!
A short, really short list is a thing of beauty, learning to keep the count of wants down is a major goal for me right now.
It is a lovely summer scent indeed, but not fbw for me in the end, since it is very fresh-watery in a bit of a relentless way.
I am constantly asking my husband to smell perfumes on me because his reactions are so funny, and a lot of the time, spot on. Sometimes he balks when I ask him, but he usually humors me. Most recently, he gave the hearty stamp of approval for Guerlain Iris Ganache (maybe there IS a god?), so I think his taste is fairly reliable. I think he’s moved past the thing where he says everything smells like powder. 🙂
Yay, he’s moved past the powder stage. Bravo! My husband has still a long way to go… 🙂
Sounds very fresh! I love the name. I wouldn’t mind being in a Jardin du Poete right this very moment.
I’m happy to hear your husband likes JdP. My husband probably would too if it meant less Youth Dew!
Lol, Youth Dew can be a bit hard on unsuspecting husbands. 😉
Very fresh is exactly the right description, it reminds me of L’Artisan’s Fleur de Liane, also by BD.
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