Rahele
Neela Vermeire (2016)

Tavernier, Bernier, and Thévenot may have gone a bit too far north east in their explorations of Asia, or so is the impression I’m getting from Rahele. It’s one of the more striking presentations of osmanthus, the most ubiquitous of far east Asian roses, that I’ve smelled in a long time. The rich aromas, colors, and vibrant energies of India - that are so well depicted in Vermeire’s perfumes - aren’t present here as my nose interprets it; I find something much more proper, prim, quiet, soft, and detailed, fit for Chinese royalty perhaps. This is a good thing.

Vermiere has shown she is capable of giving us very symphonic, colorful, and rich stories with Duchaufour as her narrator, and Rahele kicks-off that way, but the heart takes the opposite approach. The bitter orange, cardamom, and violet leaf opening is gorgeous. Oranges, beiges, greens, yellows and purples swing around you like stiff saris in a Holi festival dance. The osmanthus joins in almost immediately. In most depictions osmanthus comes across as gently floral, guava fruity, a touch leathery and woody, silky and slightly sweet. Here, the characters of the top steer the flower into a dry, stiff, and green presentation that is as captivating as it is energetic. Then the movement to the heart brings the osmanthus directly into pink, powdery, rose territory backed by an enormous amount of dry and starchy orris. The osmanthus and the orris keep the perfume balanced between blushing cheeks and a gentle smile, and cool formality. It's quiet, restrained, and has no desire to be opulent, pushy, or grandiose - quite the opposite. However, smell it at a distance; with a bit of air this heart diffuses quite gently but also quite powerfully into the air in a very beautiful way, but stick your nose straight to skin and be ready to possibly get a headache. It can be a bit tough to deal with very up close. We finish up with the NVC standard of a lactone heavy sandalwood base that has been directed to follow the heart’s mandate of providing some quiet spaciousness and restrained richness, with cedar and a big dose of mosses giving the otherwise thick and heavy sandalwood some stiff and aromatic pepperiness, and damp, airy woods. The moss does a lot of the heavy lifting.

This is one of the least nuanced and detailed of NVC’s perfumes I have smelled so far; normally every one of NVC’s perfumes has every nook and cranny filled with some note or texture that gives an incredibly rich opulence. Not Rahele, but, again, this is not a bad thing. What you can smell is still very rich and sublime, but it leaves you with plenty of space to fully enjoy it without distraction. Relatively speaking, this is not a light, airy, effervescent and translucent perfume, but it is for an NVC.

It's lovely. Rahele is one of the most elegant presentations of osmanthus I have smelled in a long time, but it is also one of the least compelling NVC perfumes of the NVC perfume line. This is a good thing, again; sometimes, a perfume simply should be pretty - no statements or grandeur needed. Vermeire and Duchaufour seem to have stepped out-of-line to give us a perfume a bit atypical but yet very familiar. Every smell of it is one that I enjoy, and it makes me quietly wonder what might happen next, even at the points I know that the journey is over. You cannot ask for much more than that.

Aerodynamic mixed floral, light and lilting, with all the buffed sheen and sparkle of an aldehydic classic – but sans the aldehydes. (Or at least not in any starring role.) The main quality of this perfume is a gentle dreamlike lift reminiscent of a spring breeze.
The prominent floral note in the bouquet is osmanthus, but evoked in an airy, billowy manner, that is reminiscent of some interpretations of orange blossom and with the yellow fruit nuance abstract, just a hint of something juicy. The way it is blended with the citrus and cardamom at the top is elegant and sure – the notes merge effortlessly into one another without the trace of a join, a Duchaufour signature by now. And that is characteristic of the perfume as a whole – it has a diffuse radiance, its floral character seemingly built on pure suggestion rather than prominent note differentiation. Indeed the heavy hitters mentioned as base notes, stay completely submerged in the main, providing invisible support.
This has an India-related backstory as do other offerings from this house, but it adds nothing to this cool and refreshing delight, a wing-flap of a perfume. Also common to other Vermeire offerings, it has demure projection and after about four hours what's left of it is pretty much a skin scent with some powdery wood in the mix. Still, a beauty while it lasts.

Notes according to the Neela Vermeire website:
Top notes
Green mandarin, cardamom, cinnamon, violet leaf absolute

Heart notes
Osmanthus absolute, rose absolute, magnolia, jasmine absolute, iris, violet

Base notes
Cedarwood, sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli, leather