Rituale
Mendittorosa (2017)

There are few fragrances that I've smelled that combine vivacity and depth in a way that Rituale does. Round and golden, it is as gratifying to me as a countryside glow in the afternoon. A clear narcissus with rosy highlights mingles with a tart fruitiness, laid on a mantle of beeswax. The honey is from a beehive adjacent to lavender fields, mildly sweet, as yellow as the belly of an evening grosbeak.

With all its lightness and beauty, its corporeal nature that is unveiled. as if a curtain is drawn to a loving caress from a furry paw. Rituale is intoxicating, but never pulls me down to any heavy, frothy place. It is remains an amber-tinted window through which a dreamy spectacle is witnessed. It reminds me of that minimalist poem from Aram Saroyan, "m" (with an extra leg on the letter m). This is the mystic smell in the negative space of "m."

The spicy Roman Catholic incense of my childhood, the sweaty patchouli of my youth, the hippie nag champa and cleansing white sage of more recent years; the incenses which have enveloped myriad moments of contemplation throughout my life - all are here in Rituale, full in texture and rich with high quality ingredients, beautifully blended.
One of the finest frags in my collection.