Montale
Montale
520 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Black cherry and plum hit like a spill of Kirsch, viscous and almost medicinal in their intensity, whilst cardamom and pink pepper spark against saffron's honeyed metallic bite. It's syrupy fruit doused in spice—think cherry compote stirred with a cinnamon stick that's been left too long in the pot.
Indian rose shoulders its way through the fruit, all peppery petals and soap, tangling with a synthetic oud that smells of saffron-stained leather and hospital corridors. Tuberose thickens everything into a creamy, almost suffocating density, whilst vetiver and sandalwood make a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful attempt at providing breathing room.
Tonka bean and vanilla sugar create a sweet, almost burnt-caramel base that clings to skin with the tenacity of spilled syrup, softened slightly by amber's warmth and musk's powdery veil. Tobacco emerges as a ghost note—more suggestion than substance—adding just enough darkness to remind you this isn't solely a confection.
Infinity announces itself with the sort of unapologetic maximalism that Montale does best—a gourmand oriental that borders on the baroque. The opening throws black cherry and plum into a haze of saffron and pink pepper, creating an almost medicinal sweetness that's simultaneously jammy and sharp. It's the olfactory equivalent of crushed velvet soaked in cherry liqueur, but there's cardamom threading through to prevent complete saccharine collapse.
What makes this interesting is the leather-oud-rose trinity at its heart, which crashes headlong into that fruit-forward opening. The rose here isn't demure; it's the full-throated Indian variety, spicy and slightly soapy, wrestling with a synthetic oud that smells more like burnt rubber and saffron than actual agarwood. Tuberose adds a creamy, indolic thickness whilst sandalwood and vetiver attempt—somewhat futilely—to provide structure. The leather note feels more like suede dusted with cocoa powder than anything particularly animalic.
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4.3/5 (307)