Wild Lavender / Inglese (1996)
by Lorenzo Villoresi

Powdery herbal lavender with a touch of citrus. A gentleman's cologne.

Lavender is one of my favorite natural scents, and this fragrance presents a true lavender from the start. But while it is certainly a pretty composition, its dry down was perhaps a touch powdery for my taste. I also find that the scent's beauty becomes too busy for me; maybe it's the ginger, not one of my favorite notes. A lovely, if feminine, fragrance.

One of the finest and most original Lavenders out there. The overall balanced effect of lavender, lemon and ginger is wonderful and these three co-exist for quite a while together. The lemon and ginger perfectly compliment the lavender - who would have thought it? A terrific and original take on lavender, highly recommended for fans of this flower.

From the Villoresi site:

15 notes in all
Top: Lavender, Bergamot, Lemon, Iris, Coriander, Elemi, Laurel, Galbanum
Middle: Clove, Clary Sage, Juniper, Pepper
Base: Tonka, Musk, Rosemary

Villoresi's Wild Lavender/Inglese (WL) is a spicy lavender fragrance which smells like an english fougere at times, thus the confusion in naming it. After having spent time with some of the big name lavender fragrances, I find that WL is neither at the very top of the list or at the bottom. However there's no confusion regarding its quality; it fits snuggly somewhere in the middle of the lavender powerhouses list.

WL doesn't exhibit the trademark Villoresi fragrance style: an explosion of a mishmash of notes which settle down into a coherent arrangement within minutes. Rather, WI opens with (comparatively) straightforward pungent lemon and lavender notes - fresh, prickly, and invigorating. Almost immediately the spices brewing underneath this combo come forth. Its cloves, ginger and pepper marching in unison to spice up the lavender opening. At this point, WI exhibits the greatest variation in the defining accord it lets loose - all depending on how you apply it and when you wear it. Applied lightly and in cool weather, one gets a balanced bitter lemon and lavender accord with a smattering of spices kept cool by a clove note. With heavy application in hot weather, heavy spices with a smattering of lemon and lavender which join forces to conjure the smell of guava (with some masala sprinkled) on. Its quite amusing, this masala guava image that WL conjures...I was almost compelled to rename it "India", instead of "English", but I guess its the same thing considering how most of England now indulges in south asian cuisine like chiken tikka masala and biryani.

WL lacks the clarity of the lavender on display in fragrances like Caldey Island Water and Lavanda Tonica (amongst others), and isn't an uncomplicated but somber fragrance like Luten's Encens et Lavande. It does however share certain characteristics with Creed's retro-modern Royal Scottish Lavender. Both open with a lemon+lavender combo, and use clove in the heart notes to render light the increasingly complicated development. WL has more spices, a murkier lavender note and a lighter drydown of musk and rosemary (compared to the Creed's "victorian era with a hint of BO" drydown of amber+vanilla).

WL is a quality spicy lavender fragrance with no rough edges or whacky and needless "niche fragrance" tricks. The lavender note could be more prominent, and the spicy heart could be a bit unstable in how it unravels, but apart from that this Royal Scottish Lavender-lite will find many fans.

Rating: 8.2/10

Very excellent, very interesting offering.

For me it is a crossover between the classic English Fougere/Fern scent and a brighter more modern composition. The lavender has presence but the heart notes of herbs and spices are obvious too, and arrive early.

A lovely green rustic accord ensues which hints at violets to me, while a little later the rosemary and light tonka with musky undertones creep in from underneath. The Rosemary in the base enhances the traditional cologne feel as it develops while in the higher register the lavender and sage meld into in an unusual and inventive accord which sits in the centre. Little ginger accents seem to sharpen and definine the edges. This smells both modern and natural to my nose.

Villoresi manages to stay rooted in tradition and make a modern progressive scent of great value.

Sprayed lightly, I get a beautiful citrus / powder accord with a touch of lavender. Sprayed densely, I get an astringent, dry lavender accord that is startling. Lavender is not my thing, but, if all lavenders would smell like Lorenzo Villoresi’s Inglese / Wild Lavender, I might change my tastes. The lavender moves in slowly: I get a lot more citrus and powder in the opening than I get lavender, but the strength of the lavender grows stronger with time. This is a sharper lavender accord than normal because it is joined with the strong dry spices of the heart notes: Specifically clove, ginger, and pepper joined by sage assemble with the lavender to create this excellent lavender accord – dry, spicy, clean, masculine. Superb drydown: most of the lavender is depleted; the remainder joins with the tonka and rosemary to for a light, fresh, long lasting drydown that hugs the skin. Wonderful. With this and Lutens’ Gris Clair and Creed’s Royal Scottish Lavender, I just might become a lavender lover yet.