The Merchant Of Venice
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Saffron crystallises first, its mineral dust catching light before the cinnamon arrives with genuine heat, almost peppery against your skin. The pralin sweetens the edges immediately, creating a spiced-honey opening that's arrestingly complex within seconds.
Oud blooms into the frame with a soft animalic warmth whilst Indonesian patchouli builds an almost suede-like texture beneath it. Akigalawood and cedar cool the composition's ambitions just enough to prevent it cloying, revealing frankincense and myrrh undertones that feel genuinely resinous rather than aldehydic.
The sandalwood emerges as the dominant voice, creamy and mild, allowing Bourbon vanilla to nestle against it in a sweet but restrained finale. Amber wraps everything in a soft golden haze where the woods linger longest, gradually fading into a barely-there skin scent over several hours.
Vinegia 21 is a fragrance that announces itself with the confidence of someone who has studied the spice markets of Venice for centuries. Jordi Fernández has constructed something deliberately hedonistic here—saffron and Laotian cinnamon converge in the opening with an almost peppery bite, immediately undercut by pralin's honeyed warmth, which prevents the spice from turning sharp or austere. What follows is a descent into deeply aromatic woods: the oud arrives not as a smoky whisper but as a structural pillar, anchored by Indonesian patchouli that feels almost leathery in its earthiness. Akigalawood and Atlas cedar create a cool, slightly resinous counterpoint, preventing the composition from becoming cloying.
This is where the amber accord (at full saturation) and those precious resins—Somalian frankincense and myrrh—begin their quiet conspiracy. By the base, Bourbon vanilla enters not as a gourmand sugar-rush but as a creamy, almost sandalwood-adjacent sweetness, layered beneath the warm embrace of Australian sandalwood. The result is a fragrance of considerable density and sophistication: woody and spiced, yes, but with enough sweetness to seduce rather than intimidate. It suits someone equally comfortable in a leather armchair with a rare book as on the dance floor. Unisex in the truest sense—neither aggressively masculine nor femininely pretty—Vinegia 21 appeals to those seeking substance over seasonal rotation. Wear it when you want to smell like you've just returned from the Rialto having acquired something valuable.
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