by Mark
When I first tried Bois d'Arménie, fireworks went off; it was like the greatest drydown ever, right from the first note. Deep, beautiful, rich, smoky, sweet benzoin, patchouli, incense and balsam that you didn't have to wait for. I kept a mouilette for reference, and for weeks afterwards I would occasionally pick it up and sniff it, and vow that one day I would own a bottle.
Created by Annick Ménardo as part of Guerlain's exclusive L'Art et la Matiere collection, Bois d'Arménie commands a premium price. The collection in general has been widely regarded as underwhelming, although each fragrance has its enthusiasts. I find Bois d'Arménie to be underrated, or at least underappreciated.
The depth and beauty of it is apparent from the first spray. Inspired by Papier d'Armenie, benzoin-impregnated strips of paper burned as incense, Bois d'Arménie fleetingly captures the smell of burning paper, and the sharp release of vanillic benzoin, right at the outset.
The burning smokiness disperses after a short while, and is replaced by warm and sweet patchouli and fragrant balsam, while retaining the vanilla.
Powder and wood gradually creep into the mix as time passes. For all the sweetness and incense, the fragrance wears close to the skin.
BdA is one of those fragrances whose main fault may be that it is too beautiful; too soft and sweet. Maurice Roucel explores some of the same themes in Labdanum 18 for Le Labo, which adds cistus, castoreum and civet; you could say that Bois d'Arménie is the acoustic version, and Labdanum 18 the electric version. I like this composition better through a Marshall stack, turned up to eleven. But I would still like to splurge on a bottle of BdA one day.
Perfumer: Annick Ménardo
Year: 2006
Notes: Pink Pepper, Iris, Rose, Coriander, Benzoin, Indonesian Patchouli, Incense, Precious Woods, Musk and Balsams.
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