Fourreau Noir (2009)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

Serge Lutens Fourreau Noir

One of my favorite Serge Lutens fragrances is Encens et Lavande. The balance between the incense and lavender is exquisite and it is the lavender that seems special in that scent. The 2009 release Fourreau Noir re-visits that lavender accord from Encens et Lavande and Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens add some different playmates to the olfactory schoolyard. Right from the top the lovely lavender comes to the fore, it is cut with a scalpel sharp citrus accord. This is the only aspect of Fourreau Noir I didn't care for. Lavender has its own sharp edges and astringency to it and the addition of more sharpness made me worry that the citrus was going to bully the lavender into submission. Thankfully the sharp citrus lasts for a short time and tonka appears along with a lively musk. In combination with the lavender this gives a rich feel to the heart of Fourreau Noir and this is the part of Fourreau Noir that persists the longest on me. As this scent develops immortelle and its maple syrup accord appears and really adds depth to the heart. The base is all warm sweet amber and this comes the closest to Encens et Lavande as both of these fragrances end up in confortable spaces on my skin. I like Fourreau Noir but that initial citrus note, which has been identified by other reviewers as dihydromyrcenol, was borderline unpleasant on me and if it was to last longer it would be difficult to overcome my dislike for it. Fourreau Noir has excellent longevity and average sillage. I'm not sure that Fourreau Noir is all I would have wanted in a lavender centered scent form Serge Lutens but its a good start.