Terre de Sarment by Frapin

Grapefruit, Neroli, Cumin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Orange blossom, Incense, Benzoin, Tobacco, Vanilla.

Even though the notes are listed and easily seen, the last thing I expected was an excellent grapefruit, incense and tobacco accord blasting to life on my skin when I applied Terre de Sarment.

I mistakenly thought the Incense and Tobacco would slowly integrate into the fragrance, but they are the framework from the very beginning. The others come to fruition at different transitions and that's what makes this have real depth.

I give kudos to the grapefruit rendition because it lasts much longer than a puff of smoke. It works oddly well with the Incense and the tabac note reminds me of pipe tobacco.

Within 20 minutes or so, you will find that name is totally appropriate. A beautiful, earthiness unravels and instead of taking the baton from the tobacco and Incense, it augments both. The tuning of notes is commendable and the ratios are seemingly perfect. They succeed in getting across to the wearer that this particular scent is about soil, tobacco fields, the life giving sun and subtle smoke that exudes from Mother Earth.

The spices in Terre de Sarment are nicely used. They never intrude more than accenting notes should and add dimension to the inherent earthiness. I was surprised that the Orange Blossom never evolved into a sweet rendition. The tartness of the grapefruit held it in check and together they account for a multifaceted citric accord worth smelling.

On me, the vanilla takes quite a long time incarnating. The extended drydown is when I get intermittent whiffs of it softening the earthy tobacco. It's a very comfortable stage in the evolution of Terre de Sarment.

In closing, this is a worthy fragrance that possesses nice sillage and excellent longevity. If you have a predilection for earthy tones in your arsenal, you should put this on your must try list. It's alluring and down to earth......literally. Big thumbs up from Aromi for Frapin's Terre de Sarment.