Ambre de Cabochard (2007)
by Grès

To begin, the name is misleading. Although the amber note is widely used (we all know why) and to be more precise, abused in perfumery, the big majority of us, the fragrance fans, have more or less a general idea of how the right amber note smells, evolves and projects. Well, with AdC, we have the case of an amber wannabe scent : a glowing citrus fruity (ginger and pink grapefruit perhaps) and sweet (vanilla, musk), plus a light floral accord, that all together struggle to support a false amber note. To be honest, the first blast is nice (so dont try it on fabric), but 30 minutes later it becomes very synthetic and cheap. Unisex? Dont even think about it! I can barely imagine it on a lady at her 50's. Thumbs down for unappropriate use of the word "amber".

5th April, 2011.

If you have Hermes taste on a discount shopping budget, Ambre de Cabochard might work for you! This one smells like a great substitute for Ambre Narguile of the Hermessence line of fragrances. Fruity and very sweet, when the sugar burns off after the first couple hours, the amber shows itself. Strikes me as the amber base of the old Emeraude by Coty. I found a bottle of this at a local discounter for $9.99. A bargain if you like your amber super sweet.

10th June, 2009.

This is simply a delightful amber. I almost could stop right there.

But of course I wont. Hints of Floral and a touch of Fruit make just the perfect caress in the opening. Leather speaks up, giving it a unisex depth. Spices are artfully intertwined throughout, and lest we forget: amber, amber, amber.

This is rich, stately, yet also comforting and well rounded. Appropriate for ladies (not girls), and quite right for gents with "somewhere to go". Appropriate all winter, but not impossible all year. Appropriate in quite a range of situations. Appropriate to say that Ambre de Cabochard is Quite a masterpiece.


I don't find the overpowering vanilla mentioned by ComDiva, but I also don't detect that much similarity to V pour Homme as noticed by distortech. If pressed to describe, I'd say this is a dollop of Sage Machado Amber, a fair share of Cabochard, and just a touch of extra ginger, corriander and cardamom sprinkled in for good measure. Truly, we must all test individually - chemistry, chemistry, chemistry.

The pain is to find it! Is it too new to be widely available? Or is it discontinued and therefore a tragically lost treasure? I hope for the former, and fear for the latter.

26th November, 2008.

I really like this! It reminds me alot of V pour Homme by Valentino, with a little extra oomph! The drydown is VERY similar, the mids are comparable (VPH is a bit more spicy with a cumin note), but the top notes of this one are much more extreme - dare I say better. The cotton candy effect is most certainly present throughout in both. In my opinion, it is a very unisex fragrance. Notes are as follows:

TOP NOTE:
Seduction
Spicy cinnamon, ginger and cardamom
huckleberry, blackberry and mandarin

HEART NOTE:
Elegance
Tuberose, cyclamen and
lily of the valley

BASE NOTES:
Sensuality
Amber, patchouli, tonka bean,
vanilla and musk

RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH SEXES! NICE!

13rd August, 2008.

I had high hopes for this - amber and leather! But they took a beautiful, light leather fragrance and pimped it out with hyper-sweet vanilla (I couldn't even find any amber notes under the cotton candy smell). Ambre de Cabochard smells like any of the hundreds of benign, sticky-sweet gourmands making the rounds in department stores and other chain establishments trying to cater to a wider crowd. Gres should have know better.

11th April, 2008.