Vinegia 21
The Merchant of Venice (2021)

I can only describe this fragrance in one word: PERFECTION

I am intrigued by this house, The Merchant of Venice. I searched and sampled several of the house's fragrances because so many of the blended notes intrigue me. And in each sample I've tried, the quality of the ingredients is undeniable. I was overly disappointed when Mystic Incense turned into a sickening & cloying gourmand of Carnival Caramel Corn on my skin. And I was disappointed once again when Vinegia smelled like any other department store, woody resinous fragrance currently on the market. But Vinegia 21...well it really approaches perfection.

There are TWO Vinegia fragrances, Vinegia and Vinegia 21. The two fragrances have very few similarities and should not be confused. I found Vinegia to be over-bearing and a rather un-extraordinary masculine take on wood, cedar, agar wood, castoreum and firs (forest) & greens.

As others have stated elsewhere, Vinegia 21 is the polar opposite version of Vinegia. While Vinegia is all I stated above with zero detectable incense, or smokey notes, Vinegia 21 gloriously opens with saffron, cinnamon, vanilla and praline. However within minutes, the sweeter notes kindly take a backseat to the smoothest and loveliest "smokey incense" notes of sandalwood, myrrh, agarwood (oud), patchouli, etc. And this is where the magic lies.

Morphing into a fragrance with slightly sweet, earthy and smoky notes (just enough sweet to take the edges off the masculine notes), Vinegia 21 is masterfully blended. There is not one single note that is cloying, overbearing, harsh, or offensive. All the notes & levels from opening, to mid, to base are smooth. Notes seamlessly and effortlessly rise and fall in perfect harmony with each other. The end sum of the notes is a lovely & unique fragrance.

Some folks have equated Vinegia 21 to Carolina Herrera Gold Incense. I agree there are many similarities between the two fragrances; however Gold Incense does not have the depth and nuances (IMHO) that Vinegia 21 possesses, nor does Gold Incense have any sweet notes to speak of. With that said, Herrera Gold Incense is also one of my current "Top 5" fragrances.

The praline and vanilla in Vinegia 21 are not overly gourmand. The woods and resins are never dirty, vulgar, or off-putting. The smokey-ashy notes are not of the acrid, campfire, or dirty ashtray type. Every note is simply divine. I imagine based on one's chemistry, various notes might play out louder than others. However on my skin, Vinegia 21 repeats as a delightful incense, patchouli, smoky and slightly sweet fragrance. Just lovely.

And while Vinegia 21 markets as unisex, I find this fragrance leans slightly feminine. Longevity is great at 8+ hours and silage is moderate.

After sampling this fragrance on a few occasions, I bought my full bottle. The bottle of course is beautiful; however it's what's inside the bottle that truly delights. Not inexpensive @ approximately $245 USD plus/100 ml, I will be wearing Vinegia 21 for quite some time to come.