Sour Prunus

A budget take on Tom Ford's much-hyped Bitter Peach, Sour Prunus leads with the note everyone wears it for: a big, juicy peach, brightened by blood orange and a whisper of cardamom and powdery heliotrope. The heart adds boozy davana and a touch of jasmine before the base brings the cosy, spiced-vanilla cognac warmth - vanilla, tonka, benzoin and sandalwood, rounded by labdanum and styrax. Against the real Bitter Peach it reads sweeter and more candied, the peach more straightforwardly fruity and the boozy bitterness softened, so it loses some of the original's nuance and plush dry-down. Projection is moderate, throwing a sweet peachy cloud early before settling skin-close, with decent rather than long-haul longevity. Even so, for the money it captures the indulgent, peachy-gourmand mood convincingly - a flirtatious, sweet warmth that suits dates, evenings and casual wear, leaning autumnal but easy across cooler spring days, reading as playful, sensual and fun.