Yvresse / Champagne (1993)
by Yves Saint Laurent

If someone had told me prior to testing Yvresse that it is possible for a fragrance to smell fizzy, to give one a feeling of small bubbles tickling the nostrils, I probably would have laughed. How this fragrance has managed to encapsulate every quality of a glass of sparkling white wine is beyond me.

Yvresse opens very tart, fruity, strong and yes, fizzy. Whether you like the scent or not, the olfactory experience you witness is unlike anything you'll ever come across.

Just like a glass of champagne, Yvresse entertains us with sophistication and intoxicating appeal. The incredibly unique blend of notes throughout makes this fragrance truly unforgettable. One of a kind.

The apricot, nectarine and peach do come on rather strongly at first and in some ways the result could be described as sharp. It is actually this quality however that I enjoy.

There is only a touch of sweetness in this fragrance, which is mostly caused by the coconut, cinnamon, litchi and vanilla. This sweetness is not unpleasant, just a little odd at first. Something that your nose will need time to adjust to.

There is no doubt in my mind that this fragrance has been aptly named. Champagne is exactly what it smells like. I love that the later name has been derived from the word 'Ivresse' meaning intoxication.

30th June, 2011.

If you like to feel soberness and joy - that's your parfume!!! happiness, impressions -also! but, enjoy responsibly!!!

28th May, 2011. (Last Edited: 6th December, 2011.)

I probably have a semi-modern iteration. This is a kind of cheap and cheerful thing, maybe some would say trashy. It reads young and fun to me. The opening is the thrill; a big peachy and peach skin kiss. Then if you concentrate maybe you can pick out a cinnamon musk. There are no depths here or counter notes. For about 10 minutes something ALMOST happens on the skin..like a lick of dryness or salt....but this fades out. That's it folks, a short-lived carnival ride in a big sweet peach.

15th January, 2011.

More like Sauternes than Champagne, but I don’t want to start another trademark issue for this fragrance. Yes, this has similarities to wine, but it seems much more like a sweet dessert wine than anything else. And, yes, there is a chypre base to Yvresse, but overall the fragrance is much more about fruitiness and sweet florals. A well-made sweet wine is one where all the fruit/honey/sweetness is balanced by a proper degree of acidity, though the acidity is a small element when compared to the sugar. The point is largely lost on me with dessert wines and I guess here as well.

I get all the other comparisons---Chinatown but without the full dose of the chypre base; Femme, but with less cumin and more honey. But the real point of comparison to me is another Grosman work, Prescriptives Calyx. Calyx has all the fruit, all the rose, but a bit less sugar and more moss. Granted, a different flavor (guava v peach) makes for a qualitative difference, but compositionally, there’s much to compare. Calyx’s success is taking the fruitiest of fruit scents, one that you can almost taste (ripe guava) and balancing it with enough moss and dry rose to compensate for the sweetness, leaving a heady aroma with a spectacularly balanced drydown. Yvresse uses sweeter fruit, adds honey-like amber, uses a sweeter rose, and less moss. Yvresse does lose some of the sweetness as it ages, but what is left without the sweetness? It gets threadbare.

I applaud YSL for making a sensible-shoes version of the 1990s fruity floral, but I’m picky about my fruity chypres, and this one I don’t quite love. Seen as a fruity floral, and compared to the raft of sticky sweetness that was selling like mad at the time, it is a smart choice. But as a fruity chypre, it can’t hold its own against Diorella, Cristalle, Chinatown or its YSL sibling, Y. I can see why fruity chypres might have been seen as fertile ground to create more ‘accessible ‘ (read: better selling) fruity-florals at the time, but it’s the balance that’s lost. Remember: this was the year Cristalle EDP was released. Cristalle, but sweeter, less sharp and nicer. God god, who wants that?

29th November, 2010. (Last Edited: 30th September, 2011.)

This is a floral aldehyde that didn't know what it was and what it wanted. Champagne was deceptive because it was too heavy for day wear, yet too floral and light for the night. There was a sickening and cloying sillage of cherry and white chocolate that overwhelmed the effervescent champagne and lemony pepper top notes. That said, the first impression is definitely one of sophistication. This one is for women of a "certain age." The set who wear Chanel No. 5. But it's not stately nor does it smack of embalming liquid, as some perfumes older women wear do. It's more alive than that, but it's prolonged sillage may just do you in!

29th May, 2010.

if I have to give a prize to the most original parfume composition, I would no have doubt to give it to Ivresse. This fragrance is so diferent and original.

Just from the start I feel the sweetness of the peach, and minutes later the most delicious cinnamon begins to emerge, combining with soft notes of anise and mint. The lasting pawer is spectacular, is not overwhelming and is completely wearable. Real champagne is not for teens as well as Yvress.


If you love cinnamon and warm fragrances you will love Yvresse FO EVA!

20th May, 2010.