Monday 11 May 2009

Win! Une Rose Chyprée - Andy Tauer


In recent weeks, my journey into vintage perfumes has ignited much interest in chypres
Francois Coty's influential perfume Chypre de Coty of 1917 was the first to coin the name and, in fact, define the entire olfactory family. The classification encompasses scents that traditionally consisted of a number of base accords - chiefly oakmoss and ambergris; along with other notes such as civet, patchouli, labdanum, and rose. The resulting blends are often described as dark, full-bodied and aromatic... liquid shadows, perhaps. In the 21st century they are immediately recognisable when opening heavy vintage art-deco flacons tied with gold thread... ones that are uncovered in dark bathroom cupboards, or in dusty dresser drawers lined with faded paper. Often, any antique perfume sampled that is characterised as "old-fashioned" or "heavy" is likely to be a chypre, as the 1920's and beyond saw many new chypres enter the market. As a result, chypres fell from favour a little during the 90's when stark androgyny and 'shared scents' were the norm as far as perfumery was concerned.

Fortunately though, new sensibilities particularly in the niche perfume market, have resulted in a resurrection of chypre-style scents in the 00's. Only yesterday I was sent one such fragrance by Swiss perfumer extraordinaire Andy Tauer named Une Rose Chyprée - the first of a series of  Tauer Perfumes Mémorables that he intends to release.
Une Rose Chyprée opens with sparkling mandarin that prickles one's saliva glands, mixed masterfully with a bright, enduring floral note of clementine. It is a radiant opening that triggers the senses with energising lemon and bergamot, and minty, citrusy bourbon geranium. This sprightly, invigorating top soon reveals a wonderful depth and resinous darkness beneath. 10 - 15 minutes after application the resplendent headnotes give way to a transient dusky, ambery powderyness that one instantly associates with traditional perfumes from bygone eras. A vermillion-coloured thread of rosa damascena emerges, and I am suddenly cast back to the 1920's, to an age where women wore furs, felt hats and powdered faces. This is a scent Louise Brooks might have worn in one of her many silent films as the quintessential flapper. It is brimming with a ritzy, lavish sense of youth and beauty, but also a melancholic feeling of being sadly lost to time. 


As Une Rose Chyprée evolves on the skin, warm earthy hues shift forward and provide the classic chypre foundation of the perfume. Labdanum lends a balsamic floral prettiness to a rich patchouli and aromatic oakmoss base. A measured swathe of vanilla furnishes a semi-transparent sweetness that plays against a hot cinnamon and spicy Bay accord at the heart. So sincere is the perfume's inherent sense of 'yesteryear', one might easily be fooled into thinking they are indeed wearing an opulent elixir fashioned at the beginning of the last century. The beauty however, lies in the very fact this an eau de parfum is very wearable today.

Tauer has done an extraordinary job here capturing a whimsical moment lost to the ages. He has breathed new life into the chypre family by re-interpreting the classics and by using contemporary methods to do so. Une Rose Chyprée is a master stroke accomplishment, and quite possibly represents some of his best work yet.

Une Rose Chyprée is offered in hand bottled and hand packaged 15ml flacons and will be launched internationally on July 1st, 2009. For two lucky readers however, Sorcery of Scent is giving away two carded samples of this perfume prior to its release. Simply leave a comment after this post, and ensure you include a contact email address. Two winners will be picked at random, and notified on Monday May 18th.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice post about chypres Dimi!
Chypres have been longly forgotten and gained bad fame of dusty old potions during the era of calonic aseptic juices: fortunately perfume lovers never forgot their charm and now seems they're coming back in fashion. Personally I find them intriguing as they speak about mistery and seduction in an uncommon way and often they're pretty genderless. I've never smelled Une Rose Chyprée but sounds intriguing and a new good chypre is always welcome :)
Magnifiscent

Unknown said...

Well thanks for the reading! Now I really ned to try this one...

Pelle

pelleolofsson73@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the review Dimi. I definitely need to try this one!

Joe

petruccijc@yahoo.com

Miami Mark said...

Nice post Dimitri.
Sign me up for the drawing.

Anonymous said...

Lovely review! This is definitely something I'll be looking forward to :-)

Amit.

java.green@gmail.com

ComDiva said...

Great review, Dimitri! Given my fondness for chypres, roses and Andy Tauer, Une Rose Chypree sounds like something I need to try whether I win the drawing or not! Thanks for the heads' up as well as the terrific information. :)

ComDiva
comdiva@rcn.com

thescentmuse said...

Sounds like a magnificent rose chyphre. I definitely need to test drive this one. Please enter me in the draw.
thescentmuse@gmail.com

Mindy

Anonymous said...

Excelent post Dimitri. Un Rose Chyprée sounds amazing!
Please sign me up for the drawing. Thanks!

Quixotiq

steddyreddyteddy@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I would do just about anything to smell (and better yet, to look) like Louise Brooks!
Great review!
-Nostalgie

Anonymous said...

This sounds right up my alley, Dimitri. Very nice write up.
Congratulations on the nod.
Sincerely,
RHM
Mom97@comcast.net

TaoLady said...

Oh geeze. You're making Une Rose Chypree sound like the rose of my dreams...and I got a lotta roses and a lot of dreams. I always loved the old Ombre Rose - even if it was a bit sweet, it was dark and musty - and it feels like maybe the zest of mandarin in URC might be just the counterpoint to bring the whole thing to life.....and if ANYONE deserves Blogger of the Century it is YOU....

Ksenia Coffman said...

thanks for your blog! Please enter me into the draw. ~Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I can't wait to try this!

robertashton69@yahoo.co.uk

Mike Perez said...

Great review D.

How's the rose? Prominent? Or more like a supporting note with all of the other chypre elements?

Justine Crane said...

Andy is one of my favorite perfumers. He's a sweetheart, and his perfumes aren't bad either :D

Anonymous said...

Well, I hadn't been able to make up my mind as to whether I wanted to acquire sample of this one. I love chypres, and I love rose, but I'd read such mixed reviews. Now, I gotta try it! Thank you for a review that is evocative, comprehensive, and a really good read.

Also, I love the previous mother's day post. Your mother must have been very touched.

An Oud Girl

Shnozz said...

Hi Dimi ! ... Excellent post on Tauers latest juice. I do luv my Chypres. (As you will soon see, when you receive my latest little package ;o) ...) I have so been looking forward to it. As I'm pretty sure that I will not be disappointed. I would luv it if you can please "throw my name into the hat", for a sample. Thanks so much for the offer.
And congrats on your nomination. Hope you win ! ... (Sybarite)

Debbborra said...

How exciting. And how nice of you to do this.

Most exciting, is discovering your blog. Thanks for pointing this out.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dimitri,
It is I Brielle from BN. You have blown me away with your description and have me wanting this scent; knowing I am the queen of vintage fragrances, that says a lot about how you described this scent. I am so pleased you are become fond of vintage scents, it is a passion that turns into mania. "Je suis folle du parfum."

Enjoy the journey into the "dark side"

Robbie said...

Count me in as hopeful to try a sample of this!

Robbie

robbiedillon@gmail.com

Nenugal said...

Very nice review! I'm curious to try this now...
-
terjegj@hotmail.com

Binny said...

Oh, how exciting! Thank you.

binnian@xtra.co.nz

gupts said...

I have an insatiable apetite to try out rose fragrances...come on bring it on!

gupts007@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'm in! Thanks for your blog - very interesting to see Andy Tauer heading in this direction. I was wearing L'Air today and then chanced on this - synchronicity :)

mr. reasonable@yahoo.com

Starscent said...

Profundity and beauty in the modern age - it's a miracle! I can't wait for July so I would love to have a sample now. Thank you for the profound and beautiful review. I am fascinated by the perception that the old beauty does need some transformative touch to enable it to live with us today and apparently Andy Tauer has accomplished this.

a.pomerance@verizon.net

Daisy said...

What a wonderful post! I don't think I've ever anticipated a perfume release as fervently as I'm anticipating Un Rose Chypree. Please enter me in the drawing.

Daisyloo82@gmail.com

TwoRoads said...

Great review, Dimi!

My fragrance journey started as a quest for a masculine chypre.

All you needed to say was chypre, rose and Tauer in the same sentence and I was hooked!

I can't wait to try it!

Congratulations on being named a finalist for Best Blog in the 9th Annual Basenotes Awards. I hope you win!

elve said...

I've just discovered your blog, Dimitri,and it's gonna be a long night :)
I'd love to try Rose Chypree :)

callypowers said...

Although old fashioned chypres aren't my cup of tea, usually, your review of this new one makes it seem like it could change my mind. Please sign me up for the drawing.

PhinClio said...

I love chypres, rose scents, and Andy Tauer's work. I can't wait to smell this one. Please enter me in the draw!

PhinClio@intergate.com

DT Chase said...

Andy Tauer and Louise Brooks... what a pair! I can't wait to smell this!

dantchase@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I would love to try this! Incense Rose my favorite but I'm looking to branch out. Rose Chyree seems like a great place to begin.

Rose Caragh

Anonymous said...

I love Rose Chypres (Paloma, Knowing, Jil Sander 4), and your review makes me think Andy has added a new "must have" to that list. I'd love to have a chance to sample it. pkswafford@yahoo.com

Ksenia Coffman said...

ah i see people are leaving email addresses; mine is kegorova (at) yahoo (dot) com (or 'kess' on basenotes)

Thanks again!

Juliet said...

Thank you for your review! I am a new reader and fairly new to perfume, and I've been looking forward to trying this one. Please enter me in the draw.

julietschwab@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, Une Rose Chyprée sounds like a divine scent from how you've described it! I haven't been able to sample any Chypree's yet as i'm just starting out in my fragrance journey, but i've been meaning to try some soon. And i LOVE Andy Tauer's works that i've been able to get my hands on (Vetiver Dance and Incense Extreme). So this would have the added bonus of being created by a perfumer that i hold in esteem. Can't get much better than that.

If i happen to get chosen, my email is tonto13216@hotmail.com . But even if i don't win, i think i'm going to have to order some of this fragrance once it comes out.

Also, thanks for doing such a great job on your blog, Dimitri! I've loved reading the in-depth reviews of the fragrances i've read about so far, so please keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this article. I love the Tauers I've tried so far and hope to try this as well.

lovethescents

samcads@yahoo.co.uk

Julie Ellen said...

Sounds wonderful....love Andy's scents and look forward to this one.

Anonymous said...

Hey nice review and blog, it seems like a very deep and profounded overview.

mnaikra@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I would love to win a sample!
amandamorris1121@gmail.com