Un Jardin en Méditerranée (2003)
by Hermès

It's named so well. It really does smell like Greece a bit - or at least like my memory of it. Very airy, a bit watery - but not aquatic, no way! - and very lovely. The fig is very noticeable, too - the fruits, the leaves, you can smell all the fig tree in here! (And if we're talking about fig scents, it's brighter than Diptyque's Philosykos to my nose - not as milky. And Molinard's Figue is much more citrusy - this Jardin is very subtle and sits nicely in the middle.)

There is a variety of fig called Brown Turkey, and that's what this reminds me of.

A dark, suprisingly sombre creation, this is more a still life than a sunlit garden.

Méditerranée was the first and heaviest of the gardens, and the fact that it wasn't included in a box set suggests Hermès don't think it's one of the best.

I find it gets cloying with a bitter syrupy fruitiness.

3*

Carded vapo sample

The opening is dominated by the fig theme: the leaves, the wood, and a good dose of the fruit. A green-fruity aroma is the result. An underlying layer of bergamot guarantees cheery brightness, which is of an airy elegance. The fig is less direct as in Acqua di Parma’s Fico di Amalfi, and a touch lighter than in Diptyque’s Philosykos.

The drydown the further development of the fig by adding sweetness, and white florals are add in too, mainly consisting of a pleasant oleander note with a transient whiff of orange blossom too. A slight earthiness is present towards the end, but I don’t get a separate base as such here.

The sillage is soft, the projection good, and the longevity is about seven hours.

This is a very nice spring scent as well as a good rendering of a creation centering around the fig tree as a whole. At times it is a bit too light and bordering and paleness, which prevents it from developing a more enticing character, but overall it is a charming creation. 3/5.

When Un Jardin en Méditerranée hit the skin, I immediately thought of pine, like what I had encountered in Annick Goutal's Ninféo Mio, which seems to be the fig leaf note that tricked me. I don't get much citrus. It's not aquatic to me, either. It has woodsy and aromatic caracters to my nose, green without sharpness. After about 3 or 4 hours, some creamy fig sweetness surfaces, but never overpowers the woods and aromatic plants. I also get a whiff of rich creamy pistachio at some moments, but it's very subtle.

The sillage is close, but it stays solidly on my skin for about 6 hours, which is really not bad for an EDT in such a hot summer day. While Ninféo Mio has a similar theme but has a lot of other stuff going on, Un Jardin en Méditerranée remains firmly to the fig tree theme and clean. A sort of pick-me-up fragrance, but with excellent quality and interesting caracters.

I won’t say I dislike it, but it’s only a bitter fig fragrance with an eau de cologne base. Not much. Performances are right.