Fragrantica

Le Jardin Retrouve fragrance give away

11/09/09 15:40:25

By: Elena Knezhevich

Le Jardin Retrouve is a French house founded by the perfumer Yuri Gutsatz in 1975 and now led by his son Denis Gutsatz. After a very successful carrier as a perfumer in one of the most prestigious French companies, Roure, Yuri Gutsatz encouraged by his family, decided to "go back to the artisanal sources of perfumery with simple formulas, "perfumer's perfume." He made such a decision having been dissatisfied by the trends of modern perfumery: "Perfumer, Your Name is Nobody. More and more, the [perfumery] business is concentrated in the hands of huge corporations whose vocations more resemble oil drilling than fields of roses."

Yuri Gutsatz was born in 1914 in Saint Petersburg (Russia). His father, David Gutsatz, who was a qualified chemist, moved his family from Soviet Russia to Germany in 1924. In 1933, Yuri began to work for Mury in France and learned every job performed in their laboratory.

His calling for perfumery was recognized by Louis Amic, who invited Yuri to work as a perfumer for Roure, where he stayed for 31 years. Yuri Gutsatz left Roure in the middle of the 1970s and started his family business.

Le Jardin Retrouve creations were made with admiration for Nature and the talented perfumer’s skills. The symbolic name of the house—Le Jardin Retrouve—means the nostalgic return to the Forgotten Garden, rediscovering the innocent beginning of Perfumery as the art united with the Nature.

All perfumes of the line were created by Yuri Gutsatz, and Denis Gutsatz treasures his father’s ideas and keeps the formulas unchanged.

Le Jardin Retrouve perfumes are made of natural essences and based on Yuri's research in organic chemistry. They undergo a long maceration in containers before being dispensed to bottles, to obtain the harmonious "blending"—just like good wines.

The perfumes bear names traditional for classical French perfumery (Tea rose, Lys, Jasmine, Chevrefeuillie), but they are absolutely unique in their compositions. Is it possible to introduce anything new in a mono-theme of Jasmine? Absolutely. And Yuri Gutsatz proves that every flower shares different secrets with those who can listen to them.

The perfumer arranged the most voluptuous Indian jasmine with spicy notes of carnation (French Marigold), ylang-ylang, clary sage, coriander and a lot of fresh green nuances. The result is a living jasmine, dreaming in the day-time and burning of passion in the night. I believe Yuri caught the intimate moment of jasmine dressing for the ball, when wrapped with smoky evening fog, the flower leaves its bed of fresh green leaves to shine all night long.

Lys is a wonderful night-blooming flower, masterfully recreated by Yuri Gutsatz. Heady, and the honey-sweet notes of its heart calm down to the smooth, creamy final notes of vanilla and oak-moss. During its long life on your skin, Lys changes its moods like a passionate, capricious, yet charming little lady. When I woke up today I found her still sleeping on my hand.

There are three beautiful roses blooming in Le Jardin Retrouve: Tea Rose (majestic sweet rose), Rose de Mai (youthful and vivacious) and Rose Opera (the darkest). Yuri Gutsatz created a lot of fragrances that can be shared by both women and men: traditional citrus Cologne, absolutely gorgeous Citron Poivré, fresh classy Vetyver, mysterious oriental Sandal and Cuir de Russie, maybe the most tender of its kind.

There are uncountable treasures to explore on the official site of Le Jardin Retrouve; along with perfumes, they offer home fragrances and natural beauty products. Everybody who wants to try fragrances can purchase samples (three fragrances for 2 euros) from Le Jardin Retrouve. Please visit the official online boutique and download cataloques and the order form. Shipping is worldwide.

Le Jardin Retrouve will give away three bottles of their fragrances (from the Floral or Boise & Cuir collections) to three Fragrantica members. The winners will have their choice of fragrance. As usual, we will choose winners after reading your reviews.

Images: Le Jardin Retrouve

Update: Le Jardin Retrouve Fragrances contest winners are:
krmarich for the review of Fahrenheit by Dior
krmarich review

kittykati for the review of Wood and Spices by Montale
kittykati review

Inselaffe for the review of Jean Marie Farina Extra Vieille by Roger & Gallet
Inselaffe review

Congratulations to the lucky winners!

Author: Jeca (jeca)
Fragrantica Member

Migotka

Congrats to the winners!

Nov
16
2009

jeca

Congratulations!

Please visit the official site to choose fragrances (the link is in the article).

Nov
16
2009

zoka

Congratulations to contest winners krmarich, kittykati and Inselaffe!

Very nice reviews! Enjoy your prize.

Nov
15
2009

zara

I'd be especially interested in the jasmine, as it is so hard to find a decent jasmine fragrance without being sticky or disappearing too quickly. Unlike mass marketed products, it's always got to see that the perfumes were created with heart, with a personal input, that what adds special value.

Nov
10
2009

Wim Janssens

Jeca, you HAVE TO send me some! I am really dying to get hold of it!
:-)

Nov
09
2009

Flora55

Oh, these sound SO wonderful, I would love to try them! Of course I adore Jasmine and Roses, but the Lily is my favorite flower of all, and to find a house that is doing a real, natural lily perfume is amazing! Such a romantic name, too - The Forgotten Garden....perfect!

Nov
09
2009

jeca

Thank you for your comments and thank you, Denis, for the opportunity to smell the fragrances ;o)

These fragrances are interesting, they differ from Molinard's, Fragonard's, Jardins de France's and other traditional French perfume lines I smelled. Every flower has it's character, Jasmine is the most unusual, grassy, smoky, lazy, not oriental at all to my nose, just like jasmine from my mother's garden, without that animalic aggressiveness ;o) Beautiful and unusual.

I do like Citron Poivré and Vetyver, who loves these notes should try them. ;o)

Nov
09
2009

Dixie

What a great review! I'm not a fan of Jasmine or Lily, but both sound enticing now!

Nov
09
2009

Wim Janssens

What a lovely article! This products seem very classy and of an extreme good quality!
You have to tell me where to buy! :)

Love your passion Jeca!

Nov
09
2009

NebraskaLovesScent

What an interesting perfume house! I had no idea they were out there, but the company obviously pre-dates the interest in natural perfumes that has been growing in the 21st century. How nice to see a company that respects and reveres traditions while managing to do something new and different with the materials. That Jasmine scent sounds incredible!

Nov
09
2009

felineluvr

You have made me fall in love with these romantic perfumes before I have even sniffed them! I think it would be an honor to wear something that was so cherished and developed by someone who put his whole soul into the process.

Nov
09
2009