Songe d'un Bois d'Ete

Songe d'un Bois d'Ete is Thierry Wasser's 2012 entry in Guerlain's discontinued Les Deserts d'Orient collection, a three-perfume trilogy that ranks among collectors as some of the most uncompromising work the modern Guerlain house has produced. The fragrance's own brand copy frames it as 'a dry, spicy, subdued and smoky effect with authentic nuances; the woodiness is based on cedar, the jasmine heart gives an individual touch. Saffron and cardamom provide the spiciness, laurel a dry aromatic touch. Oud, myrrh, patchouli and leathery notes complete the base notes of this intriguing composition.' On skin the composition opens with a sharp spicy-aromatic blast - bay leaf, cardamom, and the immediately polarising cumin that several reviewers compare to body odor (and others to authentic Middle Eastern leather souks). The saffron arrives quickly, with its characteristic metallic-leather facet, and the composition settles into its long heart-and-base phase: cumin-soaked leather, smoky cedar, balsamic myrrh, and a quiet oud-patchouli foundation. One detailed review captures it as 'a forest on a hot, smoky summer day,' another as 'an ancient palace warmed by candlelight.' The polarising nature is real - reviews split sharply into two camps. The champions: 'masterpiece-tier blending with high-quality ingredients,' 'intensely provocative and sensual human vibe,' 'the next level of these kind of fragrances.' The detractors: 'a Komodo dragon of a scent,' 'cumin bomb,' 'evokes body odor.' Both camps are right - this is a deliberately animalic, cumin-leather oriental in the tradition of Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan and Etat Libre d'Orange Like This, not a polished Western oud. Performance is enormous: 42% of voters call it eternal and 36% long-lasting, with 47% strong sillage and 23% enormous. Fragrantica's pros list flags 'exceptional longevity and beastly projection,' 'transportive and classy,' and 'unique and imaginative take on Middle Eastern fragrances.' Of voters, 100% tag it for winter, 96.9% for fall, with 98.3% indexed for night wear. The vintage 2015 gold-box first edition trades on secondary markets at multiples of its original price. Sits next to Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque, Etat Libre d'Orange Like This, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour Le Soir, and Tom Ford Tuscan Leather in the animalic-leather-spice category.