Nobile (1988)
by Gucci

Should have been called Gucci Woods. The opening is an aromatic fougere with a generous helping of spices that reminds me of the soapy opening of Safari for Men, but after this, it quickly digresses to a mélange of woods particularly cedar, sandalwood, and pine from which there is no return. The sillage and longevity is immense, which is Nobile’s only positive quality. If only the top notes never faded…

What’s most remarkable to me about Nobile is how utterly at odds it is with what the Gucci brand has come to represent: logo-encrusted goods that are loud, graceless, and embarrassingly crass. No wonder they don’t make it any more.

Nicely executed, if conventional lavender and bergamot top notes lead one to expect a well-made traditional fougère. By and large, that’s exactly what you get. For a 1980s fougère, Nobile is actually quite subdued and civilized. It demonstrates little of the testosterone-fueled brawn that oozes from scents like Jules, Kouros, Or Black, or Lauder for Men. With its herbaceous aromatic notes, clean tobacco, and crisp citrus, it gives off a comfortable, sophisticated, yet decidedly conservative gentleman’s club air. It’s neither racy nor dull, but rather poised and polished. While it smells nothing like them, I imagine it will appeal to the same sensibilities that appreciate Chanel pour Monsieur, Eau Sauvage, or a clean vetiver like Guerlain’s or Givenchy’s. Like these, Nobile could have been a timeless classic. Instead it’s gone.

Crisp green scent with great transparency. Transcends all era and is timeless. For a change, it’s not a green scent which reminds one of Chanel PM. Nobile has to be the inspiration for scents like Malle’s French Lover…not in the use of civet, but the juicy, fresh feel of tender, light green colored leaves. It turns a bit floral by mids but still retains it’s green character. The base is a luxurious blend on musk, vetiver and sandalwood. Musk adds to the bite, keeps it fresh, vetiver keeps it green and sandalwood adds to the soapiness, keeping this a fresh scent all the way. A lovely scent for daily wear and a kind which with each wear reveals one secret after other. Incredibly well blended and a top notch composition

If you are looking for a Tobacco (ashtray tobacco ash, in a good way) fragrance look no further. Tobacco ash is dominant from early Top Notes and right through Middle Notes and into and through the Basenotes, with a smattering of mashed green tree leaf and spice for good measure along the way. This bold fragrance slowly winds down to a moderately sweet patchouli-amber-tobacco finish . As the old song says: "a cigarette bearing lipstick traces.."

Somehow this one had gone under my radar, and when, a few years ago, I saw it at Marshall’s for a reasonable price, I had no idea what I was buying, but I bought it for the name ‘Gucci.’ It opens up ‘perfumy,’ which is exactly what to expect from a 1988 fragrance. The opening is clean—clean and green—it is a remarkably pure accord for as complex as it is: sharply citrus and lavender with herbal accents, but the herbals aren’t the usual aromatic version; they are solid and centered. As it moves to the mid notes, it picks up a little more green and some florals to fill out the accord with a fuller note. The middle level also begins to add in the coniferous notes, which continues the clean green character. The base is the typical base of the 80’s—complex, deep and rich, with cedar, sandalwood, and moss predominating. Nobile is quite linear and that linearity offers those wonderful clean green vibrations in rich full deep green accords. There is a caveat with Nobile: It is very strong—there is real danger of becoming Mr. Cologne—misting is appropriate. I am very prejudiced about Gucci Nobile—to put it plainly, I think Gucci Nobile is one of the best designer fragrances around! (Edit of 18 January 2007 review.)

Its really difficult to fathom how and why Nobile was discontinued. As much as I like Envy for men, Nobile would have an edge to be Gucci's signature Classic. There are similarities between this and Envy for men, other than having an 80's feel, they have quite similar herbal notes. But Nobile offers so much more. The blend of mild citrus, prominent herbs and woods, coupled with a touch of florals, is a perfect mash. Has great longevity and sillage to boot. This should be brought back into production for their good name's sake.