Goutal
Goutal
83 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The bergamot arrives with surprising vigour, bright and almost effervescent against the skin, but within moments that powdery accord descends like a gentle veil, softening the citrus into something more diffuse and ethereal. The floral heart emerges almost immediately, all green iris and sharp hyacinth fighting gently with the initial bergamot freshness.
By the second hour, the rose has fully bloomed into view—not lush or hedonistic, but rather austere and slightly aldehydic, perfectly supported by the iris's violet-powder character and the hyacinth's peppery coolness. The spicy accord becomes more pronounced here, weaving between the florals like a whispered undertone, whilst the woody base begins to establish itself with a cool, aromatic sandalwood that feels almost medicinal in its clarity.
As the fragrance settles into its final hours, the woody elements—particularly that green-tinged vetiver—move forward, anchoring the increasingly ethereal florals into something more grounded and architectural. What remains is a powdery, slightly austere composition where the rose has become more abstract, a memory of floral sweetness filtered through iris and sandalwood, fading gradually into a skin scent that smells distinctly of elegant restraint.
Heure Exquise is a fragrance of studied elegance, one that whispers rather than shouts. The bergamot arrives with a crisp, almost citric snap, but it's immediately tempered by the composition's inherent powderiness—a quality that suffuses the entire structure like talc dusted across silk. What emerges is a distinctly feminine-leaning floral, though the woody underpinnings and that spicy thread prevent it from becoming saccharine.
The Turkish rose sits at the fragrance's emotional centre, but it's not the dewy, romantic rose of modern perfumery. Instead, it's a drier, more architectural bloom, sharpened by the green bite of hyacinth and the civilised restraint of Florentine iris. These three florals form an almost austere triangle—the iris contributes a subtle powder-and-violet character that deepens the composition's powdery accord, whilst the hyacinth adds a slightly peppery, almost minty freshness that prevents the rose from becoming cloying.
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4.2/5 (229)