Rêverie au Jardin
Tauer (2007)

Tonka bean in the opening actually smells precisely like real, in hand, tonka beans. These particular tonka beans are accompanied with the inky smell I sometimes get from them. Typically I find that inky smell more than a little nauseating, which makes Body Kouros unbearable for me, here though I don't mind that at all. Earthy vetiver a la Encre Noire or Villoresi Vetiver. Blatant frankincense, but with accompaniments it's neither dusty nor old.

- 5 mins in, Tonka fades behind frankincense.
- 10 mins in, Frankincense retreats and tonka beans reappear with sweet vanilla and iris. Still quite inky
- 25 mins in, Ambergris, woods and lavender appearing alongside tonka, but sweetness is abating. Still quite inky.
- 45 mins in, Lavender gone frankincense fading hard. Sweet vanilla returns which makes for a nice combination with the iris. Parma violets coming to mind. Faint woods presense.
- 60 mins in, Frankincense and Tonka all but gone. Mildly sweet, inky and floral. Woods becomes evident as sandalwood. Lavender making a return, but it's a lot less cloying than how it's pesented in most fragrances.

After the punchy opening ten minutes, this fragrance develops nicely during the first hour to become quite mild mannered and respectable. I can't pick out ambergris beyond the hour mark but suspect it's there in the background propping up the fragrance until the end, which is sadly on the short side.

I do like this but the more I think about it the more I feel it settles, after that first hour, into a lighter and lesser Chanel Antaeus with no where near the longevity.

The Sower (after Millet) by Vincent van Gogh 1889

Among the many divergent reviews of Rêverie au Jardin one of the few common strands is: those who don't particularly care for lavender seem to find that this is a lavender that suits them. Lavender lovers, meanwhile, complain: ‘Where is the lavender?'
Perhaps both views can be addressed by observing that the lavender spike in Rêverie occurs early on, in the opening minute or so where we have a lovely clean lavender paired with some airy coniferous green. Almost immediately the transition begins, with the lavender dying back considerably, and the emergence of a smoky frankincense which imparts resinous warmth and plays up the balsamic aspects of the conifers – but the overall composition stays light. And finally, a vanillic base with some soapy orris and ambergris creaminess grows more prominent marking another successful transition, but now the lavender is set pretty deep in the mix.
Whereas I find that each stage is well-executed, there is no denying that this is a much softer creation than we are used to from Tauer. He once remarked that he felt maybe his sense of smell wasn't particularly keen which is why he created such powerful perfumes. Clearly his hooter was coming over all sensitive when he composed this one.

Genre: Floral

Reverie au Jardin launches on a powdery floral note with some iris and just a gentle dab of lavender to give it backbone. Some aldehydes and a distinct soapy accord contribute to the soft blend as well.

Sweeter tonka/vanilla and incense notes come forward after a few minutes, while the iris/lavender accord remains firm in the background. The entire composition remains extremely well balanced and blended, so that no single note, not even the lavender, is dominant.

The heart of the scent organizes itself over the first hour, with very smooth woods and mild amber anchoring the floral and incense notes in the foreground. The drydown is a subtly sweet ambergris, woods, and vanilla arrangement that brings on a sense of wistful comfort. What a far cry this is from the likes of Lonestar Memories! The overall effect here is extremely gentle, gauzy, and mild, with a dream-like quality I often associate with Olivia Giacobetti's scents. "Reverie" is very apt!

Though composed of different notes, Reverie au Jardin evokes the same mood as Frederic Malle's exquisite Iris Poudre. If you enjoy one, I suspect you'll enjoy the other. Tauer's scent is more obviously unisex, possibly because the incense adds a certain firmness that's lacking in Iris Poudre. The bit of oakmoss in the base of Reverie au Jardin also blends with the abmergris and florals to yield a somewhat fruity accord that sweetens it in comparison to Iris Poudre. That I can comfortably speak of Reverie au Jardin and Iris Poudre in the same sentence is a credit to Tauer's accomplishment.

Pfff....

This is how my nose reacts when I try Reverie au Jardin.

I dont like the levander/laundry detergent opening at all, and what follows is quite simply a sweetish/floral mess...

The first Tauer I try, and I didnt expect much from this one to be honest, is a no no for me..it shouldnt be difficult for the other fragrances from the house to be better than this..I hope so at least..

A lovely lavender start and then it changes into a prominent amber with a touch of vanilla. Un bon scent but it might be better on a woman than on me.