Le Rivage des Syrtes / PdN1 (2009)
by MDCI

Parfums MDCI Le Rivage des Syrtes/PdN1

Patricia de Nicolai has been called the spiritual heir to Jean-Paul Guerlain and in her eponymous Parfums de Nicolai label she has created some classic scents of her own, most notably New York which is a representation of her Guerlain bloodline, she is the grand daughter of Pierre Guerlain, and her ability to make it her own. Parfums MDCI has hired Ms. De Nicolai to create two new scents for them and Le Rivage des Syrtes is the first of those scents released in 2009. The name comes from a novel by the French author Julien Gracq. Gracq is known for writing which centers on “….the promise of meaning, but there is no meaning”. That might be the theme but trust me there is as much meaning and intent as a perfumer can bring to bear on a scent. The top starts, with what is becoming clear, is one of Ms. De Nicolai’s skills and that is the deft hand she uses with citrus, namely orange. Here the orange is the lush pulp inside the peel which is paired with a juicy pineapple. This could come off as fruit salad in other’s hands but here it is an incredible start. The heart of this is all floral as the orange does a Benjamin Button and ages in reverse as orange blossom leads the way followed by tuberose and a sheer incense note so light you only get hints of it. The best of Ms. De Nicolai’s scents tend to be built around vanilla and in this one vanilla is the linchpin of the base, there is a little musc but this one ends up vanilla. The interplay here between the fruit at the top and the floral plus incense down to the vanilla shows a perfumer at the top of her game and one living up to and improving on her glorious heritage.