Montale reviews - I'm new at this, so be kind!

I recently received some Montale samples from "maisonstinky" here at Basenotes. Since there aren't many reviews in the Directory yet, I figured I'd take a shot at reviewing some frags here in a thread. As the subject line mentions, I'm pretty inexperienced at doing reviews like this, and my nose can only work with the notes it knows. So, feel free to add your comments, corrections, or additions. (BTW, I think "maisonstinky" may still be selling these samples for anyone who might be interested.)

Attar: A very interesting scent. It's intense and yet streamlined, not chaotic. To me it feels like there are only a few notes in the mix, but what is there is concentrated yet pleasant. I would say it is a dry sandalwood and spice fragrance, with oud richness. (To me, oud seems to add an "aura" to fragrances, like a wet cloud that gives them weight and density.) The rose in this scent doesn't strike me as strong or as being the same as the rose Im used to in mens scents. It adds a dry and almost herbal floral note to the mix, not the sweet rose that I am used to. I don't know I would have even guessed there is rose in this scent if it wasn't in the notes. Attar is a dry, smooth, focused, and intense sandalwood and spices scent with a floral touch. These few notes blend to create a scent that really is unlike anything else I can think of at the moment. Very good longevity and projection.

Black Aoud: I find this to be almost a leather scent, which I don't think Montale lists it as. Dark, moist, leather and deep rose. Very good longevity. A truly manly rose. I like it better than most of the others I've tried including: Voleur de Roses, Iquitos, Malle's Une Rose, and Ungaro III. The only other mens rose scents I've liked as much were C&S no. 88 and Villoresi Musk. Good company to be in!

Fougeres Marine: This smells very familiar. I was thinking GIT, so I compared them side-by-side, and it's similar but different enough that it can't be what I am thinking of. I am beginning to think it's Cool Water that I am remembering as being similar, but I no longer have that to compare with this. Nevertheless, it's rich with mossy and marine notes (maybe lichen or something similar). It lasts a very long time and projects a lot. If someone likes GIT or Cool Water and wants a new alternative to those, this would be a great option. Its classy and masculine, yet could be worn in many situations. BTW, my gf likes this one a lot, so it may be a lady-pleaser, for those who worry about that kind of thing!

Woods-Spices: Surprisingly sweet. For some reason I was expecting dry woods and spices. I do get maybe a touch of incense in this one, and the cardamom - a friendly spiciness. I also get lot of vanilla or tonka or possibly benzoin (I can never tell those apart). If someone were looking for a high quality, niche version of something like Pi, Opium, Le Male, or maybe Body Kouros, this would be a good option. Very nice, but a bit sweet for my tastes. Projects a lot for a while, then calms down. Good longevity.

Sandflowers: Reminds me of a beach. It's a marine scent, but in a beachier sense. It's not got the usual salty air note, but more of a kelp or seawater quality to it, with some light floral notes. It really does remind me of the beaches in So. California. An interesting take on an oceanic scent. Wears close to the skin and longevity is good, especially for a marine scent.

Greyland: I also revisited my sample of Greyland a few times over the past month. How it smells really depends on where I apply it. On the underside of my wrist, I get very little - a very light incense scent without much else going on. When I wear it on the topside of my arm, it's much richer, more complex, longer lasting, with incense, floral notes, and musk. In that case it seems to be somewhat reminiscent of Villoresi Musk. I find this wears pretty close to the skin and lasts well.

Oud Cuir d'Arabie: Once the medicinal quality of the aoud burns off, I get a wet, musky, animalic dark leather. Very rich and deep, long lasting, with decent sillage. I consider it my second leather "holy grail," the polar opposite of my other "holy grail" of leathers, Cuir Mauresque. While CM is bright, somewhat sweet, and brings to mind sunny days in an open-top convertible sports car, the Montale scent brings to mind dark dive bars, hanging out with bikers and getting into fights.

First, thanks to all who added content to this thread. It's great to see so many reviews of Montale scents in one place. Thanks also for the compliments on my original post!

Second, since this thread is still alive, Ill add a few more reviews of some other Montale samples I received from Vijay (maisonstinky). As always, these are just my impressions, so I hope everyone takes them with a grain of salt. Also, as before, feel free to add, comment, contradict - whatever - this is about discussion after all.

Blue Amber: Might as well start with my favorite of the new batch. This reminded me immediately of some great amber scents - Ambre Precieux, Amber Extreme, and Ambre Sultan, to be exact. So, I put them all on various parts of my body and compared them. I found that Blue Amber was not quite as round, buttery, and rich as AP. In that regard it was closer to AE. But, Blue Amber is more complex, and to my nose, more interesting than AE. AE seems to me to be mainly amber and vanilla. Don't get me wrong, AE is good - smooth, round, warm - but I find Blue Amber to be more interesting. As you wear it, you can pick up bits of floral notes wafting in and out. It's not quite as rich or exotic as Ambre Sultan, and not spicy like AS either. Blue Amber could be considered the daytime version of Ambre Sultan, as it seems less sultry and darkbut brighter, and possibly easier to wear. As you can see, I place this scent in some pretty good company!

Soleil de Capri: What a fun, bright, summery scent. Another poster mentioned this smelled like Juicy Fruit gum to him. To me, it smells more like an orange push-up pop at least for a while its sweet and orangey, or maybe tangerine-like, starting with a sharp but sweet citrus blast, then getting more woodsy and floral as it develops. I find it totally unisex. I could imagine this one being great for casual wear on a hot day. Im not sure its my thing, but I can imagine it would be to the liking of many on this board.

Royal Oud: I'm not sure how to review this one! It's kind of an oddity in my mind because it mixes some notes that I am having a hard time understanding together. It's got a fruity quality, which is listed as kumquat. (I've never eaten a kumquat, so I can't comment directly on how much it actually smells like one.) Mixed with that fresh fruitiness, almost in equal parts, is the oud. At times the medicinal quality of the oud contradicts the sweetness of the fruit, and at other times the two seem to complement each other nicely, with the oud providing some warmth, depth, and body. Each time I put it on, I am not so sure I like it, then the longer it is on, the more I start to like it. I had my gf smell it multiple times, and each time she liked it very much. I am still trying to decide what I think about it, but do think it's worth a sample, since it is pretty interesting.

Aoud Lime: To me Aoud Lime seems to be a less intense, less focused version of Montale's Attar. It seems like a softer oud, rose, and sandalwood scent to my nose, especially after it dries down. Again, I find this one to be completely unisex. Oddly, I think Aoud Lime may be the most inappropriately named fragrance ever. I'm not sure I get lime at any point in the development of this scent. In fairness to Montale, they dont list lime as a note, at least in the listing I saw. Please don't take my comment about the name to mean that I don't like this scent. I do like it; I just dont comprehend the naming of it.

Vetiver des Sables: First, I feel obligated to say that I am not a huge vetiver fan. Most, I wouldn't want to wear. In fact, the only one I do wear is Lutens Vetiver Oriental. Hopefully that will provide a reference point for this review. Vetiver des Sables seems to be a combination of vetiver and something with a menthol quality. Montale lists iodine as a note, but I dont get that as much as something like eucalyptus. To me it smells like an ointment for joint pain or an herbal liniment for bruises. Its not my favorite Montale, but again, I am not a fan of vetiver.

So far my faves from Montale are: Oud Cuir d'Arabie, Attar, Blue Amber, and Black Aoud.

I hope these help!