Heure Exquise (1984)
by Annick Goutal

This was my second Annick Goutal purchase and I find it to be an "old-fashioned" type scent, but in a good way. I smell roses and powder but also something else I cannot figure out... The drydown is quite nice and lasts a long time. I don't wear it during the day but to go out.

Heure Exquise is one of my HG fragrances. For me it opens with a strong aldehydic galbanum-rose. Sometimes the rose note is very fleeting. The bulk of the heart notes and dry down focuses on a blissful combination of creamy iris and dry powdery sandalwood. It is just divine, sexy and warm. Sometimes the lasting power is not good. A second application about one to two hours after the first seems to make it settle in - and I love the smell of the opening so much that reapplying is no problem for me. The dry body oil formula is also rich and warm and I highly recommend it. Heure Exquise is sexy and sophisticated, and can be worn all year for all occasions. Strangely I find the iris note to be particularly highlighted during very hot/humid weather in the summer. ( It also does indeed smell very much akin to Chanel No. 19, which has a similar galbanum & iris accord, but is much greener and fresher, with a chypre type dry-down. )

This is my favourite Annick Goutal scent. It reminds me a lot of Chanel 19, but it is much nicer in my view, and has far greater staying power. I'd describe it as a green scent, despite its fairly powdery dry-down, and I think it is the predominance of iris which makes this scent so extra-special, and which draws comparisons with Hermes 'Hiris'. It really is an exquisite fragrance - aptly named Heure Exquise - which draws compliments galore. If you haven't tried it yet, you should!

I wasn’t sure what to make of Heure Exquise at first. It has quite a bit of the characteristic Goutal aldehydic floral bitterness in its top notes, but the resulting nose-tingling effect is tempered by a honeyed rose that quickly appears underneath it. Heure Exquise soon enters a sweet, dark rose-dominated phase that persists for a few hours. With time the honey accord grows bolder and takes on some of the animalic, urinous character it sometimes manifests at higher concentrations, but here, unlike say, Serge Lutens’s Miel de Bois, an agreeable balance is maintained. Previous reviewers have mentioned iris in Heure Exquise, and it does figure in the blend, but I perceive Heure Exquise as primarily a rose scent.

As a dark rose Heure Exquise bears some comparison with Czech & Speake’s No. 88, but the Goutal is a sweeter, softer, and more transparent composition, without No. 88’s aggressive spices and bitter-edged woods. It nevertheless remains a palpably nocturnal scent, calling up images of warm, languorous, humid nights for me. I should note that Heure Exquise projects for miles, with persistent sillage, so don’t wear a lot if you plan on being inconspicuous.

I had only the briefest exposure to Heure Exquise during a big sniffing event, but was struck by its similarities to a perfume called Camellia from the New Orleans perfumery Hové. I'd always found Camellia to be antiquated (in the good, Victorian era sort of way). Since I'm relatively new to perfumes, I don't know how I could sense it was old-style, and that seems to be the way others here are referring to the nostalgic nature of HE. Hmmmm. Interesting.

Of all the Annick Goutal scents that were available when I visited one of the shops in Paris, this was the one that I chose for myself. It is truly beautiful, a bit nostalgic but not sad. Unfortunately, as with all the fragrances from this line, it does not last with me.