Monday, September 20, 2010

Serge Lutens Sarrasins

On my first test of Sarrasins, the initially lovely, juicy bergamot and jasmine top notes (for a few moments on a par with Montale's Jasmin Full) turned into a plasticky grape soda on me, sadly. As it dried down, however, it started to grow on me. That first try may have been an unfair assessement, given that I tried about a half-dozen perfumes in the span of an hour on that particular day.

Now that I try it again on a day when I haven't been overdosed with perfumes, I love it much more. A delicious, subtle, musky, sweet-savory leather reward awaits those patient enough to sit through what seems at first to be merely another restrained, middling-sweet, barely indolic jasmine. The effect sneaks up on me. It's a perfume equivalent of beautiful Moorish tilework that, though it first may seem to be only a humble necessity, can attain a breathtaking artisanal opulence. Sarrasins is low-key and unintimidating for a jasmine perfume, but like those meditative geometric patterns in Moorish tilework, its effect is a harmony that transcends its unassuming materials.

Bois de jasmin says: "Sarrasins includes notes of bergamot, jasmine, carnation, woods, musk, coumarin, patchouli."

Perfume posse has a great review of Sarrasins, too.

Sarrasins is only available in Paris and samples are available at various perfume decanters. Just chalk it up to the days/weeks/paychecks I'll have to spend at the Serge Lutens shop once I finally get back to Paris!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, that sounds good. I'll have to add that to my list of things to try one day.

Aimée L'Ondée said...

It is just lovely!

Alyssa said...

Interesting. I adore Sarrasins--and its one of the few my husband notices in a good way, too. In the beginning I get a huge kick of horse along with the indolic jasmine. Then things quiet down and its all soft leather and dark jasmine. Purrrrr.
No grape soda though. I've never been able to understand the reviews on BdJ and NST, where they talk about how it is soft rather than inky or dark. But you seem to agree!

Aimée L'Ondée said...

Ha, huge kick of horse! Yes, absolutely, I think you're right, except the horse is hitched to a Texas mountain laurel in bloom! It really is the most mouthwatering jasmine.