Magnolia Romana (2008)
by Eau d'Italie

Neither of the two earlier Eau d’Italie scents I’ve tried – Sienne l’Hiver or Bois d’Ombrie – pleased me much, but I just had to know: what would Bertrand Duchaufour, master of dark, smoky incense, do with an aquatic floral? Well to start with, he drops the hideous melon note that's graced every aquatic scent since about 1992. (The clouds part, doves fly, an angelic chorus sings.) Dayenu!

Magnolia Romana goes on with a blend of green floral notes and smoky (yes, smoky,) nutmeg so beautifully calculated that I want to freeze the opening in place for hours. But after a few minutes an aquatic accord wells up to douse the smoke, and Magnolia Romana emerges quickly and dramatically from veiled mystery to limpid clarity. Bright rose, crisp cypress, and ozonic notes blend into an accord that smells more of lotus than magnolia to me, while a very hard-edged cedar interacts with the rose to yield a nose-tingling peppery accent.

It’s that sharp, peppery edge that keeps me engaged as Magnolia Romana develops. Its bitter dissonance rescues the scent from the comfortable blandness that ruins so many watery florals. Another redeeming feature is an utter lack of sugar. Most similarly structured scents I know wallow in gobs of tropical fruit syrup, but this one eschews the melon margarita mix for a bracing shot of Campari.

Once it reveals its cool, bitter heart Magnolia Romana remains linear for a full four or five hours before folding down into its cedar base. Much to my delight, the peppery bite persists right till the end. Though not a weak scent, Magnolia Romana wears close to the skin, even when applied generously. Magnolia Romana is not a scent for those who enjoy filling a room with their fragrance, but I can recommend it as a warm weather option for anyone who hankers after a sugar free variation on the aquatic green floral theme.

If I hadn't tried Paestum Rose first and fallen for it, I might have appreciated Magnolia Romana more. But I did and I'm afraid I don't. It is a pleasant enough fragrance, but just is so very close to the skin and faded so fast that I was left longing for the punch that goes on forever with Paestum Rose.

Bertrand Duchaufour might be my favorite perfumer working currently. His other scents in the eau d'Italie line are all equal masterpieces, and Dzongkha alone would put him into the panoply of geniuses at work today. His natural language seems to use the smoke, woods, darker smells... Magnolia Romana was one I looked forward to greatly.

First off, it is very white, clean, clear... I don't register anything terribly earthy in the beginning stages. At this point, it actually reminds me of Puro Lino. From there to the musk I have to admit I don't get any aquatic accords (as far as I'm concerned, not a bad thing AT ALL). It basically travels from white floral, exquisitely rendered I might add, to lightly wooded light musk.

Would I buy this? Perhaps wanting to own everything Duchaufour has ever made, sure. Not so sure if it is going to usurp the desired spot for white floral that Puro Lino currently occupies in my wish list. It's definitely worth a try though, that much I'll say.