Hey Hey lovely Olfactoria’s Travelers,

Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse sharing a newbie to my set of Montale fragrances that I enjoy. Red Vetyver and Terre d’Hermès have a similar genetic make-up yet I think them sufficiently different that they are not interchangeable. I adore Terre d’Hermès and have quite a bit of it here but Red Vetyver adds something livelier, less sparse and stark on my skin.

Red Vetyver by Montale was created in 2008.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vetiver, sandalwood, red cedar, patchouli, hot spices, black pepper.

Salty vetiver, a vetiver margarita, dry, sweet, cool, woodsy and perfect for this lovely Summer day in Sydney. The grass is dry and crackling in the summer heat, there is an oiliness like being at the petrol pump behind and a zing of spices above. Though not mentioned my nose gets a sizzle of citrus zest and the wooly tang of pith that comes and goes through the life of Red Vetyver. It seems that there is a nod to natural perfumery too, something I have never before thought with one of the Montale fragrances. A richness and tonality not usually associated with the highly charged chemical engineerings they usually put out.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Clearly a created thing yet I can imagine the beach with people sitting in a circle under shade weaving baskets or creating vessels from the vetiver leaves, their quick fingers moving while they chatter and laugh. There is the always present smell of fresh sea water blown on the breeze across the sand, a slight hint of drying seaweed and the smell of an outboard motor in the distance. A calm and peaceful life.

Red Vetyver is quite a short story. To my nose it’s blended so the specific notes are never prominent, except the vetiver and spices, but their prominence is the mainstay of the fragrance and everything else is there to bolster and frame them.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Soft, a word I’d never have associated with Montale before but Red Vetyver is exactly that, after the initial fireworks it settles beautifully into a slightly citrus and pepper woodsy version of vetiver. Pretty and unisex but I could imagine a handsome young thing rocking Red Vetyver at work and everyone in the office swooning as they walked by. Wearable in most situations from super casual to full white tie, I think it is a fragrance completely free of boundaries.

Further reading: Scent For Thought and Perfume Smellin’ Things
Neroli Budapest has €56/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml

Did you know that some of the Montale fragrances are lighter, less ferocious, more wearable and liveable? Which have you tried? How did you like them?

Portia xx