The French fragrance house L’Artisan Parfumeur delights us with two new launches, namely À Fleur de Pêche and Cuir Grenat. I am, after all, a fan of the French brand, as I tend to point out in every article, and have been since the early days of my niche fragrance passion. Bertrand Duchaufour’s travel fragrances captivated me at the time, and since then L’Artisan Parfumeur has never let me go.
Dzongkha moved in with me years ago, and I hope a few more will follow in the time to come. But today, the focus of this article will not be on the past, but on the present with À Fleur de Pêche and Cuir Grenat.
À Fleur de Pêche – Fruity pleasure
One of my declared favorite fruits is used in the creation À Fleur de Pêche: the peach. Far too seldom found in fragrances and then mostly in a rather understated function – or in the form of osmanthus – the peach and its blossoms are hopefully finally given an olfactory monument in this creation from the house of L’Artisan Parfumeur.
For the creative work on the composition, the fragrance house has teamed up with perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, who has also worked for cult brands État Libre d’Orange and Comme des Garçons, among others. For À Fleur de Pêche Maisondieu combines the ingredients peach, pink pepper, jasmine, patchouli, tonka bean and amber.
Here L’Artisan Parfumeur pays tribute to a forgotten jewel of modern perfumery: the peach. Created by master perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, the fragrance is a tribute to the famous orchards of Chantilly and the connection of the peach with French history, because King Louis XIV was a passionate lover of this fruit.
Smooth as a peach
Sweet and juicy fruit nuances open the eau de parfum, very delicate, lucid and transparent. Velvety peach meets the creamy accents of jasmine, on whose bright and floral notes the stone fruit lolls gleefully. Together, the duo creates a melange that actually evokes the subtle and lovely scent of peach blossoms. Soon the peach dives into the jasmine cream.
Instead, I perceive the light, softly earthy woody facets of Patchouli, which also appears creamy and rather shy. The tonka bean provides spicy warmth, in which I sniff out greenish coumarin notes and delicate vanilla hints. In the base, À Fleur de Pêche remains creamy, but the composition becomes distinctly drier, accompanied by the cotton-soft and synthetic-like accents of ambroxan.
À Fleur de Pêche is a light, transparent and delicate fragrance that combines the bright and fruity nuances of peach and creamy jasmine. Dedicated to the fruit in the opening, I perceive the heart of the creation as a tribute to the peach blossom, while the finish pays homage to the soft and velvety-tender peel of the stone fruit. For me, the fragrance could have been a little more lush and focused on the fruit rather than the blossom and peel, but perhaps this is also due to my skin, as the ambroxan is much more present on it than on the paper strip. A test on your own epidermis is therefore recommended. Overall, an uncomplicated and pleasant fragrance that can be worn on any occasion and at any time of year. 🍑
Cuir Grenat – L’Artisan Parfumeur
After the peach, we now turn to the leather. Not a run-of-the-mill leather in brown or black, but in garnet red, as the name of the creation tells us. What dips the leather in this shade can be quickly determined from the fragrance notes: Raspberry, leather and ambroxan are the ingredients of this eau de parfum.
A raspberry leather, then. Not the first of its kind, because also Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford, London by Widian and Sillage by Kinetic Perfumes rely on this combination – always varied differently, of course. L’Artisan perfumer Christophe Raynard apparently leaves the olfactory stage almost completely to the fruity-leathery combo, because only ambroxan is involved in a supporting role.
Cuir Grenat captures the complex olfactory impressions of a leather workshop in a contrasting interplay of light and dark notes.
Raspberry red leather
Lush and, in my eyes, quite dark leather meets the tangy, tart sweetness of deep red raspberries in the opening of Cuir Grenat. An absolutely well-made and beautiful interplay of these yet so contrasting fragrances, which harmonize so excellently in the eau de parfum by L’Artisan Parfumeur and are so close that no sheet of paper seems to fit between them.
At the same time, the fragrance appears very clear, linear and structured, rather transparent than opulent. Leather and raspberry play their roles in this composition on an equal footing, lending elegance, grace and nobility to the creation. Gradually, the raspberry retreats more and more, leaving the stage to the soft and lucid notes of ambroxan. These also blend beautifully with the leather, giving it a touch of creamy, light suede accents.
Cuir Grenat by L’Artisan Parfumeur is a quiet and transparent creation in which the nuances of sweet and sour raspberry and noble leather have been beautifully combined. After a fruity-leathery opening, the fragrance ends with creamy-powdery suede, in which raspberry flashes up again and again. Simply great! In my eyes, rather a fragrance for somewhat cooler days, which of course can also be in spring and summer. Not explicitly suitable only for autumn and winter. I’m a sucker for the enchanting leather notes of Dzongkha anyway, so Cuir Grenat is right up my alley. Perfect for those who love fine and rather light leather fragrances for any occasion. ❤️
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