Mazzolari Vetyver
by Mazzolari

Mazzolari Vetyver’s opening salvo caught me so completely off guard that I first had to check the vial to confirm I’d applied the right scent, then reapply a couple of times to make sure I could follow it. My first thought: “Wow, that’s really sweet!” My second: “Where’s the vetiver?”

In my experience most modern vetiver scents reveal their hand pretty quickly, without much more than some crisp citrus as prelude to the title ingredient. Not Mazzolari Vetyver. This launches instead on a sweet bergamot and animalic patchouli accord that bears passing family resemblance to Mazzolari’s own Lui and Patchouli, though admittedly cleaner, lighter, and less aromatic than either.

Only after a half an hour does vetiver fully assert itself as the lynchpin of the composition, and even then it supports a much sweeter and well-padded structure than I’ve come to expect from something calling itself “Vetyver.” In addition to the mild patchouli and sweet citrus, Mazzolari surrounds its mellow, nutty, and slightly anise-flavored vetiver with soft amber, leather, and tobacco. When a vanillic note emerges in the drydown I even sense faint echoes of Molinard’s great Habanita, though with none of that scent’s floral components.

Stylistically this scent is as far removed from the sharp, rooty vetivers like Vétiver Extraordinaire and Etro Vetiver as it is from the dry smoky interpretations such as Encre Noire and Sycomore. It is also far more sweet and lush than Givenchy’s Vetyver and Guerlain Vetiver, and hence stands alone among contemporary vetiver fragrances. Well, almost alone: there is a conceptual parallel with Serge Lutens’s Vétiver Oriental, but the Mazzolari is a much more coherent and convincing structure, with its various components better balanced and more fully integrated. Sillage and projection are well-judged to create a presence without offending, and the scent lasts for several hours on the skin. A superb vetiver, and one that would wear just as well on a woman as on a man!

This is most certainly an uplifting and floral vetiver, with a very pleasant creaminess. However, it’s far too soft for me and lacks the projection that I’m usually used to. Personally, I consider Montale’s Red Vetyver far superior – it’s least 20 times stronger (both in terms of longevity and projection) and with a tartness replacing the floral notes. Therefore, as lovely as this creation is, Red Vetyver makes it pretty much redundant in my book.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

In my book this is good, but not great, vetiver. Since I have cultivated a taste for the rooty, natural scent of vetiver, I don’t tolerate many supporting notes, preferring it sans adornments. Here it is combined with lemon and nutmeg, two very common choices. There are some sweet notes that I do not recognize, but the entirety leans toward masculine, barbershop territory. Not what I’m looking for, but it’s perfectly decent for the menfolk. Guerlain Vetiver for men somehow avoids the cliche aroma dispite using the same supporting notes, which must have been applied more lightly, leaving a "plain" vetiver note dominant. It remains my favorite, along with Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire, which is even more rooty.

This is among the most wearable of vetiver fragrances. It is subtle, charming and companionable. It is also complex, intriguing and versatile. Soft but with good longevity, it is not too forward'; it is not noisy. This is not at all your natural "just out of the ground" rooty, dirty vetiver that would appeal most to agronomists. No, it doesn't have an essence of recently cultivated terra firma after a heavy rain storm. No, it is a vetiver that smells nice and clean. It is a very lovely, charming fragrance that has equal elements of old world charm; Italian barbershop propriety and unassuming elegance. This is not an overly masculine vetiver, and while I believe it is primarily a man's fragrance, it might do well for females looking for something with suavity and a touch of bite that is not overly floral or in any way "girly", There is a touch of floral too, but just a touch. So, it's not really "unisex"-- what a crass name. It's more universal for the discerning. Aesthetically catholic, like Acqua di Parma, but less......, well one hates to say it but, less common.

The citrus notes in the opening are used quite judiciously—they do not overwhelm, they do not even share a partnership: They quietly augment the freshness and the naturalness of the vetiver, which is, thankfully, left in an acceptably raw, organic state. The vetiver is allowed a large proportion of its full, virgin, vivacious essence. I love it. Into the middle notes, the vetiver begins to lose its exuberant potency. But this is not a loss, the vetiver simply draws in closer to the skin with a richer vegetal aspect—aromatic and even more compelling than the first version it presented in the opening, but lower key. The vetiver does move to the point where it becomes bitter but by that time some herbals have moved into the mix. I appreciate these extremely dry herbal / green accords, and this one has the same problem with most of its ilk…it doesn’t project, but it is a rich, compelling accord. At this point Mazzolari’s Vetiver is a skin scent—dark and brooding—and I love this, too. Toward the beginning of the base notes, I catch a little bit of nutmeg—usually nutmeg is pretty obvious to my nose, but here it’s quite demure for some reason, and I like the way it is presented. The dry down is excellent: The remnants of the herbals / vetiver joined with a clean, quiet sandalwood note. Very good longevity. This has, within five hours, become the favorite vetiver of the twenty-some that I have tested.