Parfums de Nicolai Patchouli Homme

11/10/09 22:14:47

By: Mark Behnke

Nature vs. Nurture is the debate that asks whether you are genetically determined to be the person you become, nature; or does the way you are raised determine your future, nurture. In perfumery we have read examples of both in a couple of Michelyn Camen’s interviews: Michel Roudnitska has continued a fragrant tradition begun with his father Edmond; Francis Kurkdjian seems to have tried many artistic fields as a teenager before finally realizing his talents lay in the olfactory arts. What then to make of Patricia de Nicolai the current scion of Guerlain. Her rich bloodlines are certainly without peer. Her love for perfumery also must have sprung from the environment she found herself in as, in her own bio from her website, I found the following passage:

“Patricia de Nicolai was Born in Paris in 1957, Patricia always spent her childhood in the Guerlain family house in Paris. She has been in contact with 4 generation of Guerlains. Her great grandfather was the company director with his brother and has been extremely successful; from her youngest age she was in contact with the latest creation of the family company. Her boudoir was an extension of family laboratory and was the place where the most famous fragrances, like Shalimar, were discussed, in close circle. Her bathroom was always fragranced by giant soaps smelling geranium or iris; her own fragrance was Après L’Ondée”.

Perhaps Patricia de Nicolai is what happens when you add Nature and Nurture and in that addition you get one of the best perfumers working today. Her latest creation is Patchouli Homme and in her words:

"Patchouli oil is a raw material of great importance in the perfumer`s palette. It plays a first violin in the orchestra. Patchouli has many facets. There is always more to discover about its damp, wet, mossy, dry, almost dusty earthiness. It evokes power and depth."

I agree with Mme. De Nicolai, completely, that patchouli does contain many facets the most common facet is that of the “head shop” smell of the 60’s. That facet has the unfortunate quality of making a fragrance seem dated when it is used. Over the last few years the other facets of patchouli have been exposed in a number of interesting fragrances, like Serge Lutens Borneo 1834, which do nothing to evoke that “head shop” association. When I read that Mme. De Nicolai was interested in exploring the facet around the earthy qualities of patchouli I knew I was in for a treat.

The top of Patchouli Homme begins with a citrus blast that is becoming as much a signature for Mme. De Nicolai as the Guerlinade is for the House of Guerlain. This citrus beginning is always tempered with a different array of notes and in the case of Patchouli Homme the complementary notes are cinnamon and rose. From there the promised patchouli, pungent as if freshly harvested, appears ushered in by an honor guard of lavender and geranium.

This mix of these three notes is gorgeous and extremely well-balanced. There is a moment of exquisite greenness accompanied by the floral character of the notes around it that make the heart of Patchouli Homme magnificent. Thankfully this stage of the development lasts for a long time on me before finally moving on to the base. That base is a mix of sandalwood and incense to go with the intensifying patchouli. The patchouli needs to get a little stronger to be present and accounted for in the base, and it does. The endgame is a warm mix of amber and vanilla which takes Patchouli Homme to a comfortable place before it evaporates for good. Patchouli Homme has excellent longevity and excellent sillage. I’m not sure if we can definitively decide whether nature or nurture or both are at play with Mme. De Nicolai’s creations. The one thing I am sure of is that whatever is at work her creations are some of the best out there and Patchouli Homme is one of her best creations.

Images: Team Dalog, evanosherow, dino olivieri

Author: Mark Behnke (Somervill Metro Man)
Fragrantica Writer

Mark Behnke is based in Somerville, MA, a suburb of Boston, and is the writer for Fragrantica. By day, he works as a research chemist in a pharmaceutical company. By night, he has been a consistent poster on the forums at Basenotes.net under his nom de blog, Somerville Metro Man. You can also follow Mark on Twitter @SomMetroMan if you're curious to find out what he wears on a day-to-day basis.

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