Les Colognes : Néroli
Goutal (2003)

Definitely one of my favorite neroli's perfumes, a delicate and romantic scent like a spring rain in the sun. We perfumes-passionates well know that, rather than chasing trends, Goutal’s perfumes evoke memories, moods and fleeting enchanting moments, crafted with transparency, delicacy and an almost musical sense of balance. One of Annick Goutal's amazing creations is definitely Neroli. Certainly, Les Colognes: Néroli is a neoclassical fragrance romantically languid, luminous and understated in its elegance, one that reflects, almost transparently, the unmistakable style of Annick Goutal. It is a scent that speaks softly rather than loudly, unfolding with grace and a quiet emotional depth, true to a house that has always favored poetry over provocation. Annick Goutal was a iconic woman of the finest and refined perfumery. She was not originally destined for perfumery. She began her artistic life as a classically trained concert pianist, a background that profoundly shaped her sensitivity to rhythm, harmony and nuances. Her destiny changed when she developed a deep fascination with perfumes. It was while working as a model in Grasse, the heart of the French perfume industry, that she discovered her true "inspiration" namely the refined perfumery. After years of apprenticeship under the famous perfumer Henri Sorsana, who had noticed her and welcomed her into his laboratory in Grasse, Annick Goutal finally opened her first boutique in central Paris in 1977. From there, the doors to success gradually opened, making her one of the iconic names in global perfumery. Annick Goutal's creations are all intimate, personal, romantic and emotionally resonant.
The fragrances of Annick Goutal are generally characterized by their lyrical, romantic spirit and their apparent simplicity, which often conceals a sophisticated construction. They established their worldwide resonance due to natural-smelling raw materials, airy compositions and a distinctly French sense of elegance. Annick Goutal Neroli is classified as a fresh and translucent fruity-floral-musky unisex (but leaning feminine cause really gracious and floral) fragrance, citrus-laced with floral neroli and orange blossom at its core, enriched by green and crisp facets imparting all over a fresh and aromatic aura. The original Néroli was first introduced in 2003 as a classic eau de toilette. In 2013, it was reinterpreted and relaunched as part of the Les Colognes line, offering a lighter, more luminous and modern take on the neroli theme. Les Colognes: Néroli opens with a radiant yet restrained (I'd say leafy) neroli, bright but never piercing, quickly softened by the gentle bitterness of citrus peel and the faintly green nuance of orange blossom leaves. The scent feels luminous rather than sparkling, warm rather than sharp (despite never syrupy or creamy), an interpretation of neroli that favors natural tenderness over oriental exuberance. As it develops, the composition remains indeed airy and fluid, carried by a subtle floral sweetness and a clean, almost translucent musky base that allows the neroli to linger like a soft memory on the skin. This fragrance (at least to me) evokes the South of France at the end of the nineteenth century with remarkable clarity. It calls to mind the languid landscapes of the Provence's countryside: pale stone houses bathed in afternoon light, rolling hills dotted with orange trees and the slow, honeyed warmth of summer air. There is nothing hurried here; the perfume unfolds at the pace of a Provençal afternoon, where time seems suspended between light and shadow. In its artistic sensibility, Néroli feels almost Impressionistic. Like a Van Gogh landscape or a Monet canvas depicting the French countryside, it does not aim for photographic realism but for emotional truth. The neroli here is smoothed with soft touches of musk and delicate notes, as if its scent were filtered through the warmth and light of the sun. One can imagine graceful figures, ladies in flowing dresses, moving slowly through sun-drenched gardens, immersed in nature, their presence suggested rather than defined. The fragrance captures not a place alone, but an atmosphere: luminous, pastoral and gently romantic. Super thumbs up.

This is a review of the older Eau de Toilette version, which was launched in 2003 as a limited edition and as part of the soliflore series:

The néroli in the name makes an appearance right form the very start. It it fresh and very good. It is accomplished by a note of bitter oranges with an undertone of petitgrain that make an invigorating contrast.

The drydown adds a lovely orange blossom aroma accompanied by touches of orange pips, which initially merges with the top notes, but gradually replaces the petitgrain and taking the bitterness and crispness out of the whole. Over time this becomes smoother and rounded, with the néroli morphing into a glowingly and smolderingly warm and bright impression.

The base adds a wood note, which is mainly a cypress, and it merges smoothly with the néroli that only gives way towards the end.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection and seven hours of longevity on my skin.

This is a delightful summer scent, which is composed of ingredients and excellent quality, beautifully blended and of very good longevity. 3.75/5.

For the first few minutes, this reminds me of a grassy citrusy neroli/vetiver mix in the vein of Mugler Cologne or Creed's Original Vetiver, but darkened with basil and therefore more masculine.

It quickly dries down to a soapy orange blossom, but with a sour green hue that seems to be a mix of bergamot and that basil, made somehow bitter with a careful application of mossy patchouli. This phase is significantly weaker than the opening blast, so this takes it cologne status seriously - it's clearly designed for repeated reapplication to get the most out of its topnotes.

In all, I've smelled quite a few of these. I like Goutal's herbal darkness in the topnotes, but not the odd sourness or weakness of the heart, so I'm voting neutral.

A scintillating orange blossom experience from Annick Goutal!

This is a truly natural-smelling ode to the commonly used neroli accord. This lovely fragrance feels like it was collected by hand from orange flowers, petitgrain, and neroli proper, distilled and put into bottles straight up! Houses like Creed are known for creating high-class creations like this, which - IMHO - can be enjoyed by either men or women, really. Parallels come to mind of Bulgari's Au The Vert scent, which also smells clean and well-made.

A definite must-try for orange blossom lovers!

The Calm Sea BY Gustave Courbet 1869

Summary: brilliant, crisp orange blossom

Note this review is of the newer EDC concentration in the rectangular bottle, not the older EDT in the ribbed bottle (ribbed bottle is a different fragrance by the same name).

Goutal's recent Neroli EDC (part of the Les Colognes series) is a brilliant, bright, and crisp orange blossom fragrance.

It is really only two-faceted. The brief opening is a fresh burst of the romantic orange groves of southern Spain and Italy. This opening is succinct an to the point. The neroli oil used is of the highest quality. If the fragrance stopped here, it would be perfect.

The drydown, while brief, is a very light white floral musk, which would usual be a buzz kill for me, but here is light enough that it essentially compliments that neroli and helps it last more than the few minutes it would on its own.

Overall, I feel Neroli is nearly a perfect fragrance that is highly unisex. Lovers of orange blossom and neroli unite! Goutal's neroli reminds me of what Penhaligon's Castile should have been--beautiful neroli without the synthetic musky/soapy vibe.

Goutal's neroli is truly the meeting an 18th Century eau de cologne (say Farina Gegenuber) meets early 20th Century cologne (say Acqua di Parma). Anyone who loves traditional colognes owes it themselves to try this.