Dôl

Dôl is the Welsh word for meadow, and this is a fougère reimagined through a pastoral lens. Lisa Howarth grows the lavender in it herself on her West Wales farm, and the result is less a barbershop classic than a walk through grass at knee height, with sun on dry ground and rain waiting on the horizon. It opens bright and restorative on bergamot, grapefruit and Italian lemon, with a cool lift of mint. Aromatic greenery follows: lavender with a golden, earthy edge rather than a purple wash, softly swept hay, and a rounded rose geranium that keeps its green, minty character. The base settles on dusty, earthy vetiver that echoes the fields the scent is named for. Wear is a mixed picture in a very small sample: the two votes on record split between moderate and very long-lasting wear and between moderate and enormous sillage, so expect a presence rather than a whisper. Spring and early autumn suit it best, and it sits as easily at a desk as on a country walk. Reception is polarised: one reviewer calls it the best of the collection, while several of the few voters rate it low. Dôl is one of four Welsh-named eaux de parfum in the debut collection, sold at 114 pounds for 50 ml. It is for people who love traditional fougères and herbal, hay-sweet greenery, and who want an old-school, comforting feel rather than sugar. If you expect a modern woody-fresh scent, sample it first.