Route du Vetiver Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier for men

Closest thing to dried vetiver roots I’ve ever smelled in a perfume. Captures the dusty, arid quality of dried soil on roots. Vetiver, along with sandlewood, frankincense and a handful of other non-floral botanicals, can stand on its own not only as a scent but as a fragrance. RdV takes this path and goes straight to the root. It remains undistracted and doesn’t try to highlight any particular facet (eg. licorice) or complement (lemon), just the whole root-cellar vibe. Feels a bit searing in a nice, powerfully dry way as it goes on, but then calms down on a fairly linear course to a low-sillage, intimate scent.

As a vetiver lover I've been encouraged many times to try Route De Vetiver (Vintage) and when I finally decided to face it I discovered an extremely compelling fragrance. RDV's opening is possibly one of the best representation of vetiver available on the market. Earthy, extremely bitter, wet. I never smelled vetiver's roots myself but I have the feeling that if you'd extract them from the ground after a couple of rainy days, they would smell exactly like RDV's opening. The drydown is incredibly woody and earthy, bold but not overpowering yet extremely masculine. Surely among the most uncompromising iterations of the rooty vetiver accord.

My little "disappointment" (not exactly the right word) comes with the refurmulated version that tends to be similar to other masterpieces of the same family such as Sycomore. Don't get me wrong, the current Route De Vetiver is still an outstanding scent, but if you're already familiar with Sycomore or with the vintage formula, it may result somehow disappointing.

Rating: 9/10 (Vintage) 8/10 (Current)