Magnolia Romana (2008)
by Eau d'Italie

Whoever thought that Bertrand Duchafour's mastery lies within smoky orientals has obviously not tried MAGNOLIA ROMANA from Eau d'Italie. This is a beautifully rendered watery floral (as opposed to a floral aquatic) that is not only pitch-perfect but successfully conveys an Italian feel with its aromatic, herbal-citric nuances. The florals are fleshed out adequately without getting overblown, perfectly counterbalanced by the brighter elements, leaving the indoles lying just beneath the surface to sustain the intrigue.

I'd rate Magnolia Romana right up there with the best from MDCI and Kurkdjian. I'd wear it in a heartbeat even if it does veer towards the classical dandy side of unisex.

Notes from Luckyscent:
purple basil, lemon leaves, neroli, nutmeg, cypress, magnolia, Bulgarian rose, tuberose, lotus, ozone, aquatic notes, cedar, hay extract, white musk

3rd July, 2011.

Brilliant opening! It’s a strong floral-herbal aromatic introduction that pretty much stays with the fragrance throughout its run – ameliorated only by a gradual lessening of its intensity. After forty-five minutes it reaches a beautiful intensity. The purple basil is a potent contributor to the audacity of the scent – it dominates to my nose, but it is not the thin aromatically screechy basil that appears in so many older masculine fragrances. It has strongly floral, citric, and possibly spicy substance supporting its basil selfdom. I like it very much as an aroma, but I don’t care to wear it in public for the first half hour. To my nose the basil dominates so much that I miss the florals – rose, magnolia, tuberose, lotus – as separately identifiable notes, but I accept that they are there providing a soft floral texture to the attractive basil accord. I also miss out on the cedar and I don’t get a strong aquatic note, but the hay extract note comes though beautifully: It lends a needed earthiness to the aromatic dominance of the fragrance. The drydown is discreetly excellent… a softly aromatic basil / floral accord presented with a recessive white musk. Rather strong sillage at first, lessening to a rather long-lasting near skin scent. An ingenious fragrance…

10th May, 2010.

Neither of the first two Eau d’Italie scents I 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/green floral 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.

12nd December, 2009.

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.

25th November, 2008.

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.

11th August, 2008.