L'Artisan Parfumeur
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Star anise and fennel explode with almost herbal clarity, a liquorice-bright snap that catches you off-guard, whilst the plum provides a subtle stone-fruit sweetness beneath the spice. Violet softens the edges, creating something that momentarily smells less like a patchouli fragrance and more like an unusual chypre.
The patchouli finally emerges, earthy and slightly damp, but osmanthus keeps it honest—that floral fruitiness prevents the composition from descending into darkness. Vetiver arrives alongside, creating a grassy-woody dialogue with the patchouli, whilst the spicy notes fade to pale ghosts of themselves.
Cedar and oakmoss establish themselves with quiet authority, creating a dry, slightly peppery base that feels more like incense than earth. The musk whispers faintly beneath, adding a skin-like warmth that makes the fragrance feel worn in rather than applied.
Patchouli Patch arrives as a calculated contradiction—a fragrance that announces itself with almost herbal brightness before dragging you into the earth. Bertrand Duchaufour has constructed something deliberately contrary to patchouli's reputation: the opening star anise and fennel create a liquorice-tinged airiness that seems almost botanical, even medicinal, which makes the inevitable descent into dark, loamy patchouli feel like a genuine plot twist rather than a foregone conclusion.
What makes this fragrance compelling is how the vetiver and osmanthus refuse to let the patchouli turn into something one-dimensional. The osmanthus particularly—that slightly fruity, apricot-tinged floral—creates an unexpected sweetness that prevents the composition from becoming a dour earth study. It's sweet without being gourmand, spiced without being cloying. The plum and violet in the opening linger as whispered suggestions throughout, adding a curious fruitiness that keeps things from settling into pure vetiver-and-soil territory.
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Réminiscence
3.9/5 (345)