Sarrasins (2007)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

I remember attending a lecture at university about ancient Indian jewellery, in which the distinction was made between the way we polish up precious stones today in comparison with their 2,000 year old counterparts.

Walk past a jewellery display and the stones are polished to a shiny gleam that stretches out of them as many beams of coloured light as possible.
But Indian jewels were buffed to a dull matte finish, so that any light passing through would glow gently with a sultry warmth.

If Patou's 'Joy' or Luten's own 'A la Nuit' are bright, classical treatments of jasmine that are polished to a contemporary gleam, Sarrasins is a tribute to la fleur in the Indian mode, leaning towards an heavily indolic suede that brings out a melancholy I have come to expect (and love) from Uncle Serge.

This is all in stark contrast to the sharp blast that kicks the perfume off, when I detect menthol, pear, eucalyptus and jasmine all together in a loud minor chord that takes a good few minutes to settle down into its leathery central theme.

Jasmine is a note that I love on the blotter but never consider wearing. If I were to change my mind, this would be the first on my list.

15th November, 2011.

Jasmine, is without a doubt one of my favourite scents. Especially when it has been freshly cut from the tree and placed in a vase. Many jasmine-based fragrances tend to add too many other components that ultimately destroy this fresh and delightful scent. Sarrasins, is in my opinion, the closest I have found to that true jasmine smell.

Opening as a rich, monster of a jasmine with a touch of sweetness, Sarrasins is by far one of the loudest florals I've ever encountered. While bright and fresh, Sarrasins tends to have a somewhat dark feel to it, almost in a gothic sense.

To my nose, Sarrasins isn't particularly modern, it has an old-fashioned and nostalgic presence. I see a mysterious woman, dressed in dark colours, with long, flowing hair, sending wafts of Sarrasins around her in a haze.

Despite Sarrasins darkness, it does have some brighter moments, especially with the introduction of the musk which softens the overall scent.

For some, the jasmine in Sarrasins may be too sweet and realistic. I personally love this fragrance, however it is a far cry from the creamy white florals that I'm used to.

The lasting strength is superb, as can be said for the sillage as well. For those that like me sought to find the perfect jasmine fragrance, Sarrasins is one that mustn't be ignored because of its price and availability.

24th September, 2011.

There was the temptation to try imagining Sarrasins before sampling it, based on a familiarity with its uncompromisingly vivid predecessor A La Nuit, Turin's reckoning it as one of the greatest leathers around, and especially because of the menace suggested by its lurid amethystine juice. All of these expectations left me vulnerable to surprise: there is little of the studied rottenness found in A La Nuit,  its fabled leather aspect either escapes my olfactory equipment or my concept of 'leather', and the purple colour – while here appropriately synthetic – is the loudest thing about this otherwise cool and reserved fruity-floral. I've since discovered that Parfumerie Générale's Psychotrope is a close match for what I'd thought Sarrasins was going to be and then was not.

It turned out that Sarrasins is an unusually lucid and spare composition now enriching the Lutens line, favouring some moderately indolic, sleepy, green jasmine, the convivial sweetness of apricots, and a mentholated hit, à la Tubéreuse Criminelle, that chimes with the most unusual aspect of the scent: a network of chilled, steel veins which make the fragrance resonate like a tuning fork. It is both refined and a little surreal, like an H. R. Giger entry in the Chelsea Flower Show's 'Chic Garden' category.

2nd February, 2011.

White flowers in general are difficult to appreciate for me, but I have learned that jasmine plays a vital part in some fragrances that I love on myself (e.g. Une Fleur de Cassie). However, I often find the jasmine treated in fragrances loud and offensive, mostly overpowering. The way jasmine is treated here is sublime. It is distinctive but soft. Sarrasins smells to me a lot like skin scented with jasmine and a slightly darker leathery touch to it. This really is the thrill about this fragrance! A wonderful and sophisticated creation and again, no gender classification appropriated as I would have expected it from my favorite house Serge Lutens. This is one of the crown jewels in the Serge Lutens exclusive line.

24th July, 2010.

Firstly ,thank you to my friend who gave me this lovely large sample. I am in LOVE with Sarrasins- how amny more can I love ??!
It opens cool and quiet then bursts open with a jasmine so sweet and pure- it literally sings .It is the best jasmine I have smelt in a long while. It stays jasmine and that is all good ! Better than the Bruno Acampora jasmine which is very 'dirty' and tough. This is refined , sweet jasmine. That purple color is funky good and baroque. Love this.

28th June, 2010.

First thing's first - that color! Yes, it is a truly alarming shade of purple. The pictures don't prepare one.

That put aside, Sarrasins is one of the most charming renditions of jasmine available, and not at all bizarre or even pushing the envelope, as the shade of the juice might suggest. Those who like those latter qualities in a Serge Lutens release will be disappointed ( especially given the positively searing A La Nuit ), but there's room in my wardrobe for all shades of jasmine, and Sarrasins is one I'm glad I own.

The top notes of the fragrance are cool and lightly indolic; subtly crisp rather than chilly. Some compare them to Tubereuse Criminelle, but I don't smell even a hint of wintergreen. As Sarrasins develops, a mild dried apricot note emerges, and into the base, a touch of civet lends a hint of filth to an otherwise rather clean rendition of jasmine. Mostly, however, Sarrasins is jasmine, jasmine, jasmine; pure, heady, and airy from first spray to its last lingering trace the next day.

28th May, 2010.