Palissandre d'Or – rosy and woody and beautifully textured

Photo: perfumeniche

One of may favorite perfume memories was the day discovered it I bought Palissandre d'Or from indie niche house and fragrance boutique Aedes de Venustas. I found out about it the old-fashioned way: I walked into the store on Orchard Street in New York and sniffed it. Yes, sometimes things are just that easy.

Aedes de Venustas has been around since 1995 and owners Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner can be credited with discovering and developing niche lines and making them more accessible in North America. Plus, their knowledge, perspective and experience of the niche fragrance world is, I’d say, unparalleled. It’s no surprise then, that when they launched their own brand in 2012, their fragrances would be of exceptional quality and signed by the best noses in the industry, which brings me to the stunning Palissandre d'Or.

‘Palissandre’, which translates as ‘rosewood’ in English, is a precious wood in the Dalbergia family. Native to the tropical regions of southern Asia, Africa and Central and South America, the cut wood is fragrant and aromatic, smelling more of flowers than of wood. It is the inspiration for Palissandre d'Or EdP, which the Aedes de Vensutas website calls ‘…a journey into the quintessence of wood.’

On me, Palissandre d'Or doesn’t move through layers, but evolves seamlessly over time. It opens with ambrette – vegetal and musky, its rose facet is pronounced on me, enveloped by its pear and iris aspects. You know right from the start that you are smelling a great perfume. Soon, pink pepper amplifies the rose at the opening while coriander adds spicy woodiness to the fragrance. Nutmeg gives it a subtle sweet/spiciness. Then, cinnamon heats up Palissandre d'Or and releases the woods – sandalwood, subtly smoky and rose-faceted, reinforced with balsamic, woodsy copahu balm along with three types of cedarwood: Virginian, Chinese and Alaskan. They smell of cedar, tea and leather. There is the smell of moss, which is probably from patchouli. Ambroxan, smelling like warm skin and clean wood is the perfect ending.

The drydown is a refined and elegant woody, smoky and musky skin scent that is as textured as their first shop on Christopher St. had been.

Check out Palissandre d'Or in our Shop.