Fragrance News: Fleur de Narcisse 2006 by L'Artisan Parfumeur (Updated)
L'Artisan Parfumeur will be introducing this fall the second perfume belonging to its collection of luxurious vintage (millésime) fragrances. This time it is an homage paid to narcissus. The scent is called Fleur de Narcisse. Just like a "grand cru" or exceptional wine, these rare vintage perfumes are based on a single harvest of flowers of exceptional quality, in this case narcissus poeticus from Languedoc-Roussillon...
After Fleur D'Oranger which was based on orange blossoms harvested one year in Nabeul in Tunisia, Fleur de Narcisse will be composed of narcissuses harvested in the volcanic region of Lozère in France. 95% of the harvest comes from the Aubrac region and its surroundings (Nasbinals). The remaining part of the harvest comes from the Pyrénées, near Font-Romeu, and also from the Ain region. Fanny Grégoire who reported on the L'Artisan 2006 narcissus harvest noted that soon after the narcissuses were harvested they, to her surprise, turned out not to smell floral at all but instead diffused a very pleasant honeyed blonde tobacco smell.
The upcoming fragrance is described as opening on an herbaceous note entertwined with the aromas of the region and those of wild flowers and accented with a budding blackcurrant cutting through fresh hay. Its sensual appeal is ambiguous, almost as much masculine as feminine. The perfume evokes a mix of mimosa and iris ultimately losing itself in the honeyed softness of blonde tobacco and the enchanting notes of oakmoss and leather.
A flacon of 100 ml will retail for $295 or 220 Euros. It is a limited edition comprising 3000 copies.
The soon-to-be-released fragrance is already being advertised on the perfume site Aus Liebe zum Duft and will be available for purchase from their website in September.
Photo is from Aus Liebe zum Duft and is reproduced with the kind permission of George Wuchsa.
Sources: Press release via Amabilia Forum; Gazeta.ru; Cosmétique Magazine, July 1 2006 (I can't link up to it through the blog because you need to access it with a password. It is an article that describes in detail the 2006 L'Artisan narcissus harvest.). A big thank you to Mr. Mimi Froufrou for finding this article!
I'm giddy with excitement to try this! I fell head over heels in love with Fleur d'Oranger and I hope this will be just as lovely in its own right. I am very curious as to if there will be any more harvest editions being made and if so, which flower will it be focused on? My secret wish would be either lilac or rose.
Thank you for the news.I'll now keep my sights set for September!
Have you sampled this yet, ma belle?
It sounds heavenly, alas...
Christina,
My secret wishes would be Arabian jasmine or frangipani or ylang. The description of the notes is very alluring I must say.
Chaya,
No, I haven't, but I will certainly want to try it. I have noticed that when a perfume is truly exceptional (for you), then the price appears small in comparison. It reminds me of what Stendhal said about beauty: "Beauty is a promise of happiness". A beautiful perfume is a promise of happiness and therefore it is priceless.
Well, since you put it that way.... now I am anxious to try it!
Such luxury and beauty.
May we all get to try this fragrance sometime soon. Or at least visit the site of the volanic nountainside where the flowers bloom particularly well one very fine year...
March,
We have all experienced such moments haven't we:)?
Lucy,
I see you are already under the charm of this fragrance. Yes, this is what beauty is, rare and transient.
Ooh, I can't wait to test this!
And, I am with you: I would love for them to do a fragrance around frangipani or ylang-ylang! I would be in heaven.
Hugs!
I normally don't comment but parts of this post look strikingly similar to a post on Bois de Jasmin (eg: "rich verdancy of hyacinth and the warm sweetness of hay"). I've included the link below. I appreciate that you listed sources but it looks like they failed to reference the original source as well. As someone who works with patent and trademark issues, I always wince when I see this sort of thing. I'm sure it is just an oversight, but I hope you will appropriately acknowledge the material that you have quoted. I enjoy reading all the perfume blogs, including yours, and would very much like for all of them to survive.
Bois de Jasmin link: http://boisdejasmin.typepad.com/_/2006/08/fleur_de_narcis.html
Paru,
Why do you think the original is Bois de Jasmin's? Did you ask V where she got her source from? I can only say that the French text does not look like a translation from the English, so maybe V had access to the French press release, either directly or from Amabilia.
Could you please double-check this with BdJ since your brought up this issue and since you know her well?
Thanks,
H.
Paru,
I want to be clear: I did not quote from any English text, including BdJ's. I translated directly from the French.
R,
Wouldn't it be great if they did? Narcisse seems to be a more complex fragrance than Fleur d'Oranger, so I'm looking forward to try that exceptional cru (it better be).
Helene, I appreciate someone bringing this to my attention, although I was about to write to you myself. Clearly, whatever source you used translated my own article, because the other than the italized part which came from the press release, the rest is my own text. "the rich verdancy of hyacinth with the warm softness of hay" was the first give away!
For your information, I picked up a press release from L'Artisan directly. I would be happy to email you the original 4p document if you are intersting in more information.
If you check the date of Amabilia post, it was published a few days after my BdJ article. Gazeta.ru's style editor Galia (Galina Anni) used the press release she received from me (with my permission, needless to say). Hope that this clarifies things for you.
Paru,
I took the time to do a little research after you posted on my blog...hmmmm, I didn't read Bois de Jasmin's post before writing my own, but you are right -- the French text and BdJ's match very closely, and BdJ's is dated earlier. Either the French text is a translation of BdJ's, or both got their words from another source (possibly a press release from Artisan Parfumeur, released in both languages?)
In any case, your comment serves to make the connection, so I'll just leave my original post as is. You might also want to get in touch with Aryse on Amabilia (please check the link in my post)the person who posted the press release in French to clarify the connection between her post and BdJ's. At any rate, unless V smelled the perfume herself, I wouldn't worry too much about copyrights' infringement since descriptions of notes are probably derived from another source.
Yours,
H.
Victoria,
Sure, you can send me the press release for further clarification of your authorship. I will just take out this one sentence that seems to be your own, since you are telling me so directly....the verdancy of the hyacinth etc. I had thought that it was also from the same published source since it parallels part of the info contained in the text which is cited as coming from the press release. Did you smell the perfume yourself? I absolutely did not feel it was a personal text I had in front of me (on the forum) but one based on a press release or report, I hope you understand.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
H.
Apart from the info in quotes, the rest are my own impressions and my own text. I've smelled Laboratoire Monique Rémy's Narcissus poeticus abs used in Fleur de Narcisse.
Feel free to contact me directly if you would like the press release.
Victoria,
I took out the sentence that is your personal impression and the rest is the quote + info I got directly from the Russian article. The re-wording of the info is mine and sources are quoted.I want to be very clear about that. The journalist did not quote you herself so I had no way to know you were her source. I do not like the way this problem was brought up to me on the blog without any proofs. An email would have been more natural. I am responding here because I do not want any ambiguity to remain vis à vis my readers. I hope you will also contact the other persons who did not acknowledge you. I would indeed like the press release. I already said so and thought you would have already sent it. It will make things clearer for me.
Thanks.
Mimi,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate your efforts in looking into the issue. I see also that you have exchanged comments with the BdJ editor. I am glad that the two of you are working to clarify things for your readers.
You suggested in your response that I should contact the editor of Amabilia to clarify her souces. I could certainly do that, though I'm not sure that fact checking should be the responsibility of the reader. I think I will leave that to the editors of the blogs that I read. Perhaps it is unfortunate that I noticed the issue on your blog first rather than on the sources you quoted. Luck of the draw, I suppose.
Again, thank you for clarifying things. I look forward to your future posts.
Paru,
Even as a reader, you certainly took that responsibility upon yourself when you posted your comments on TSS. There were links to those sources, but perhaps, you do not read these languages. If this was a serious concern of yours and I know this was essentially just to support Victoria of Bois de Jasmin, you should have contacted BdJ and let her contact me, but we can hope that she would have noticed by herself at some point. Finally, even if you wanted to take the risk yourself of levelling accusations and criticism without proofs at someone, me in this case, as you did, I would have expected that to happen first through a personal cautious email. Publicizing this readily is strange to me. Again, I repeat, you had no proofs but that didn't prevent you from taking position in public, moreover chalking it up to your professionalism as a patent and trademark specialist.I am baffled. It is unfortunate that your first post ever on my blog was of that nature.
I am not suggesting you contact the editor of Amabilia, just a member of it called Aryse and voice your concerns to her, in all fairness really.
I am still waiting for that press release by the way.
Hélène, apologies, but your "email me" link does not work (at least, in my browser). Please email me directly (info@boisdejasmin.com). I will send the press release to you when I hear from you. Good night!
Oooh, that sounds luscious!
Victoria,
I received the doc., thank you. The first three pages are deleted though. Could you please send me the full document? Thanks.