Countdown day 17

On the 17th day of our Christmas Fragrance Countdown, my true love hath gone to Preston. I meanwhile had a wonderful carol service with a volunteer choir of lovely people in deepest, greenest Putney, hence my late post. Sozz! So to a house which gets nowhere near the love it should; Caron. They are behind such masterpieces as Yatagan and Trosiemme Homme, not to mention the great Pour un Homme. Try them all, they are stunning. Today however, as its Christmas we are going to discuss an overlooked gem. Nuit de Noel ( 1922) is a nostalgic wonder by the master Ernest Daltroff. It hearkens back to another time when these Opulent winter florals reigned supreme. Of course like all fragrances of that time, this has been reformed over the years, yet it still weaves its magic in its current incarnation. The opening is a floral trio of exquisite and age old beauty. I get a rounded blend of Ylang Ylang and Bleeding Rose, so closely bound they are difficult to separate. But persist, and you will get them both. We also have Jasmine, which to me takes on a slightly sweetened Lilly of the Valley. This opening is rich and yet floats effortlessly, it is full of light and dark, and shifts and teases. I have known the opening to hide behind the middle and then wake up, or maybe that is my lazy nose. The middle/base brings us back down to earth after our heady floral exploration. We have a savoury and broad Sandalwood, it has the long finish of a expertly oaked Cote de Beaune. We also have an inviting bed of Oakmoss, which serves to make the thing all the more herbaceous and warm. I also get a lovely soapy quality in this middle, and there is a fresh musk which provides continual cleansing notes for your nose. When you consider that these heart notes more often constitute the base of a fragrance, you have some idea of the structure and depth of this. These notes also aid the seamless transition to our base, they are long and full of character. This is really a top and bottom structure and so we meet our base perhaps sooner than you might expect, who cares, when confronted with olfactory kindness. The final base has little left to do after such loyal support, so simply provides us a radiant and slow cooked Amber. It has just the right sweetness and contented warmth, and never feels like an afterthought. It really continues to sing beautifully as the night draws to a close. All in all, this is a glorious perfume and deserves more attention. Please do smell it, and try the whole range from this house. Happy Smelling and Remember Nuit de Noel is not just for Christmas Eve! J xxx