Reviews of Sables (1985)
by Annick Goutal

This perfume has a very similar opening to the "Opone" by Dyptique.
Dry, dark, gothic, overdoses of saffron and then the rose accord is subtitued by a dry soft amber and vanilla accords.
I can detect a litle of licorice and curry, just on the opening. Later is just like "Eau Noire" by Dior. In fact, It could be a brother of this one. There's here too that particular raw, smoky smell of non threated leather, that you can easily detect at the Marrakech Zoco. Moroccan raw leather.
There's a prominent smell of burnt woods, like the smell of a bonfire, and the remaining black logs. There's something that I like about it but I don't know... In my skin still a wispher of curry and dissected laveder?? :)
I'm puzzle, I may have to give it another go!. Anyway. Thumbs up!.
it deserve it!.

Unreal lasting power. Sweet, rough, powerfull and masculine. One of the very few sweet fragrances i like.

9/10

Think maple syrup after you've added suger to it. Sweet, strong and heady but not the least bit cloying. This is one of the most addictive scents I've ever tried and the fact that it lasts a solid 24 hours only makes it more impressive.

Once in a while I get a craving for chicken gizzards. It may come in the middle of the night; it may come in the middle of a meeting with a client. Don't ask me why, but it just comes upon me like some kind of secular Damascus Road experience, and I just CRAVE greasy, gristly, Southern fried gizzards. Then, the rest of the year, I go without and even turn my nose up at the sight of these little gnarled monstrosities.

AG's Sables is (gee, you guessed it) no different for me. Once in a blue moon, I just BOLT for Sables, then I go around in a frenzy all afternoon sniffing my forearms and wondering why I doused myself in this bitter herbal mess. Nevertheless, my curiosity aside, I love Sables, if only for that one day. The rest of the time, I stick it back until the craving comes again, and then I know that I must feed the craving else go mad.

This is some twisted stuff, Sables -- and I love it and hate it and puzzle over it all at once, all the time.

This has been compared to some SL fragrances. I agree: Sables is what Chergui really wanted to be when it grew up. Syrupy and all that? Yes, at first, but with such exquisite depth and nuance.

Think: Dr. Pepper with a dash of some kind of motor oil and wild growing French herbs, and you're on the right track, but there the adventure only begins. Sables is dark and intoxicating. It is reminiscent of Eau Noire not in the way it smells but in the way it projects: they both create a special ambience- -a little atmosphere all their own where the seduced air is just a little thicker than the common air around them. Where Eau Noire is dark green, Sables is ambery brown. Sables projects a moderate suave sweetness that is somehow totally masculine, warm and sophisticated. It has moderate projection and longevity. This is good. Anymore, and it could be too much. Just make sure to apply Sables prudently. The only way I can give even a glimpse of this is to come back to the opening and say there is a strong hint of Dr. Pepper, or maybe its root beer, cut with motor oil and exotic herbs, probably some little flowers, and maybe there is sandalwood in there as well. Who knows for sure? But whatever it is it is absolutely perfect for a man who loves rich fragrances. The verdict: Thumbs up? What a banal way to judge Sales. Annick Goutal, of happy memory, I salute you! What Estee Lauder did with JHL for her husband you did with Sables for yours, and we are so lucky for that!

Sables brings my senses to a height that few other fragrances manage to do. Bursting forth with a syrupy sweet opening, Sables reminds me of some of the SL's sweeter offerings. As time progresses.... Sable's magic unfolds. The overtly sweet notes are mellowed substantially by an herbal bouquet that keeps the sugar at bay. Sables is one of those rare fragrances where all the notes just "fit". The longevity and sillage are superior.... and though this fragrance beckons a coolish weather climate, it stuns. I will "never" be without a bottle of this Goutal.

I find this fragrance a little rough at the start (the first half hour or so) but by the time you get to the dry down it is pure heaven. The dry down is a sweet floral scent which has a slightly caramel note to it. I usually don’t go for sweet scents but this one works for me. The dry down lasts and lasts. I can put it on when I get up in the morning and still clearly smell it when I’m going to bed. It is one of the jewels of my collection.

This is the first men's scent I really fell in love with. There are so many cookie-cutter citrusy men's scents that remind me of shaving soap out there and this was a wonderful surprise. At first it was strangely like maple syrup but that goes away and leaves this luxuriant carpet of sandalwood and black pepper plus some other mysterious background notes, something a bit like camphor, there's more but I can't place it. I think I like not knowing, I just know it makes me wild. When a man wears this I want to stalk him like a leopard and bite his neck provocatively. When I wear it I'm distracted and just want to sit alone smelling myself all day. Purrrrrrr.

One that I didn't really "get" the first time I smelled it, at first I thought it was overly heavy: I smelled tobacco and caramel and something like cognac and it was a bit much. But that soon evaporated into a fantastic, creamy sandlewood. Not easily found in the US anymore, I have a bottle hoarded.

I like this scent very much. It's really warm and comforting. I love the the scharpness in combinatie with the warmth. You'll have to apply lightly, or else it will be really heavy and annoying. And it lasts forever!

Similarly to a flower blossoming in hot desert, this aroma strikes explosive chords which being softened do not lose the general charm. The immortele is the main thing a theme during all life, the anise adds density to this original east aroma.

It`s herbal cologne hard to bear in first 10-15 minutes. Smells very sharp, herbal and a bit boozy... Is it absinthe, or aniseed Ouzo?
Then immortelle comes shining - and only for that I LOVE this frag!!!
In immortelle heart it reminds Eau Noire by Christian Dior - but Goutal has more acid of aniseed...
And sillage is just amazing!!! It is unique - and it could be bought just for it`s uniqueness!

This is a marvellous masculine fragrance, an all time favorite of mine. Great

Wow! A superbly crafted fragrance that has multiple levels that develop magically. It reminds me of a more complex spice/herb concoction reminiscent in some respects to Arabie by Serge Lutens. Whle Lutens' fragrance tends to either be very quick in development or have only a very few notes it concentrates on, Sables is crafted in such a way as to release several layers or aroma. Good stuff!

The late Annick Goutal made this scent for her husband. The main note is immortelle which gives it an edgy, extremely strong herbal note. This plant grows on the beaches in France - hence the name, Sables (Sand). Totally unique.