Vétiver Extraordinaire (2002)
by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

This is one of those cases where I'm always a little disappointed that I can't get on board with the rest of what seems to be a rather large contigent of Vetiver Extraordinaire admirers. It might be such fun to be a part of that crowd I keep thinking. The late night soirees. The laughter. Ohhh the raucous laughter. The contentment. But I can't. I'm resigned to be always looking in through the party train window my nose pressed up against the glass thinking, "Why do I have to dislike this stuff so much?" Smells kind of nice at first. Crisp. A little smoky. Something green. An almost unoffending aquatic quality. This to me is NOT some big earthy trip to Rootdom.
Not unpleasent. But as it progresses (or doesn't) it seems to lose what little smokiness it started with and leaves behind something that to me ends up smelling like nothing so much as the smell of a dental office. There's that mild rubbery smell overlaid with perfume. Like the plaster an orthodontist uses to make an impression or some adhesive. The smell of dental materials made to be more pleasent smelling with the addition of fragrance. Not unpleasent. But this is one I'm always happier with when it's gone. Kind of like leaving the dental office.

15th December, 2011.

Vetiver Extraordinare is in the range of my favourite Vetivers on the side of the salty and windy Sel de Vetiver The Different Company, of the untamed and earthy Etro's Vetiver, the post industrial and dark Encre Noir, the exotic Vetiver Guerlain, the rooty-incensey Route du Vetiver and others as Terre d'Hermes (which with V.E shares many notes as orange, vetiver, pepper, cedar, woods and others) and Creed with its millesime' touch. I share my opinion with others of many reviewers, this fragrance starts raw and angular with a strong earthy presence of Vetiver and tart bergamot but with time starts to evolve towards something more fluid that reminds slightly that sort of lemony and green tea effect i find in Sel de Vetiver and Terre d'Hermes. As well as the last this one, without losing the  earthy feel, evolves towards something more watery, lemony, incensey and grassy. I suppose that there are many notes in composition that support the vetiver exalting some of its upmentioned qualities, i mean cedar, moss, may be galbanum  or tea, citrus for sure and spices. A note of myrrh is listed and i suppose that, in its link with musk, moss and amber, it's the main responsible of the final process of smoothing of a smell that anyway holds on to be bold, rooty, slightly pungent and woodsy-incensey with nuances of orange-lemon, sweet spices, smoke, leather and mild woods. The outcome is masculine and complex as the smell of an old and leathery english bookcase room impregnated of smoke, mould, woods and smells of time.

28th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd December, 2011.)

A superb woody vetiver from Dominique Ropion. The root itself is present throughout, but flanked by cumin, bergamot, and bigarade orange up top, with myrrh, cedar and sandalwood in the base. The first 30 minutes are especially recommended for the counterpoint between the slightly sweaty cumin and the ablutionary vetiver.

The overall inclination here is towards cut grass and lemons, with little of the smoke (Encre Noire, Exhale), soap (Guerlain), or edibility (Sycomore, Vetiver Tonka) found elsewhere in the vetiver category. To my mind, this is also the driest vetiver around, with a distinctly scorched quality to it that I would explain with reference to the heavy inclusion of myrrh and cedar. That said, at odd moments Vétiver Extraordinaire smells somehow damp and mossy, like a forest floor or vaporous cellar. That's complexity for you.

All in all, an excellent fragrance and a vetiver worthy of the Malle range.

21st April, 2011.

Fresh cut grass in a bottle. The longevity is extraordinary!

It's a very fresh scent and it stays that way. Very masculine indeed because of the combination a grassy notes and fresh woody notes.

Normally vetiver scents are not for me, this one however, is simply amazing.

12nd April, 2011.

It opens with a stale sweat/Bo note which must be the Cumin at the top. It gets greener and lighter as time goes by then starts to smell like freshly laundered linen that has been ironed.

It's not bad just not for me I much prefer Encre Noir as it has more character.

5th April, 2011.

Well, this is the apotheosis of the "masculine vetiver fragrance" concept! A SUBLIME composition that immediately jumps at the top of its genre together with other masterpieces such as Sycomore, Route Du Vetiver and the Givenchy's. Vetiver Extraordinaire is a stark and edgy composition where the usual bergamot/citrus opening is dried to the bone by sharp woody notes and a massive dose of dry vetiver. Add a nice (and slight) quasi-soapy twist and here's a masterpiece. Good sillage and excellent lasting power. One of my favourites.

4th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 28th October, 2011.)