Ambr'erò
Cerchi nell'Acqua (2010)

Ambr'erò opens with a powerful, spicy, dirty and carnally shady accord right out of a classic dusty feminine chypre; the amber is thick and dense, dark, boozy, lying on a base of mossy-earthy and slightly animalic notes which enhance its darker and gloomier side - I smell here benzoin, patchouli, oak moss, even civet perhaps. At the center floats a vibrant jasmine note, which is good and realistic and adds a humid, heavy and "grey" floral note to an already dark blend. An interesting amber scent for sure, really spicy and musky, and a bit "moldy" too, which retains the dusty and golden warmth of amber but underlines its darker nuances in a creative and clever way. I also detect something similar to ambergris, and I mean the real one, a sort of camphoraceous, organic, salty smell which is typical of that material - but perhaps it may just be vetiver blending with other notes. On the drydown Ambr'erò sticks to its dark, spicy, woody chypre path, well centered on the baroque, almost intoxicating richness of jasmine, with a warm, dirty, somehow musky shade of amber. Really elegant, compelling and pleasant to wear, sumptuously austere, well built for sure: a peculiar scent which starts from chypres but twists the clichés in an unusual modern way. Great persistence, powerful projection. Remarkable.

8/10

Cerchi nell'Acqua Ambr'ero' floats the indolic ambery-musky-spicy waters attended by fragrances a la Noel au Balcon, Musc Tonkin, Mona di Orio Nuit Noir, House of Matriarch Midnight and Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge. The approach is intensely ambery, spicy and mellow-floral with a sort of carnal spark (honey, musk, civet?) and a classic chypre background with hints of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli, animalic patterns and woods supporting the central floral ambery backbone. In my opinion hints of final leather turn out a velvety-silky fluidity. I detect a featuring accord of orange flower, cinnamon, tonka, tuberose-jasmine and musk surrounded by a sort of ambery sparkling aura (somewhat gingery, cardamom veined or minty-aromatic). The intensely floral chypre dry down is also vaguely honeyed and waxy with a touch of classic (slightly retro in style) floral-indolic-animalic stuffiness. Another great appointment by Mr Enrico Buccella.
P.S= along the vaguely powdery dry down the animalic warm notes jump up with a civet presence over a waxy honeyed classically chypre base (more than vaguely conjuring several Bogue MAAI's floral animalic facets).