Escale à Portofino is part of Les Escales de Dior, the fragrance collection that was based on Dior’s Couture Cruise Collection. Inspired by the idea of casual cruise travel, François Demachy, Dior’s in-house perfumer, created a series of fragrances based on specific ports of call or ‘escales’. Launched in 2008, Escale à Portofino – named for that gem of a resort town on the Italian Riveria -  was the first frag in the series and to date, is my favourite. It is the essence of summer in Italy.

It opens brisk and refreshing from bergamot and petitgrain and citron – that gnarly green-skinned Italian citrus fruit that people mistake for lemon but which is far more fragrant and much less sharp. Welcome to Italy! At the heart, orange blossom, well, blossoms and keeps the citrus going with a succulent orange note. Almond adds sweetness and complements the orange blossom perfectly, but it’s the juniper that is the surprise at the heart. It works well here, its piney note a counterpoint to the orange blossom, as it leads the way to a woody,  soft spicy base of cypress, cedar, galbanum, caraway and musk.

The drydown is smooth and chic with a base that gives it some body so that it has more presence than most summer frags but still stays light and summery.

Notes: bergamot, petitgrain, citron, orange blossom, almond, juniper, cypress, cedar, galbanum, caraway and musk.