Grenadille d'Afrique by Aedes de Venustas

*****
Year: 2016

Notes: bergamot, juniper berry, lavender, violet, milky white tea accord, African blackwood, Haitian vetiver, cistus labdanum, musk
"Aedes de Venustas' seventh scent explores the age-old landscape of Africa in a tribute to ancient ebony..."

Also known as African blackwood, which is a member of the rosewood family (from the Dalbergia genus) and is no longer regarded as ebony (exclusively reserved for the Diospyros genus), Grenadille d'Afrique is categorised as a balsamic woody offering and was created by Alberto Morillas.

Compared to Alberto's previous fragrance for this house, Grenadille d'Afrique is a notable improvement over the synthetic woody-amber mire of Palissandre d'Or. While musky, powdery and subtle in its general demeanour, it exhibits a pleasant combination of creamy, woody, vegetal, balsamic and flint-like attributes.

With a lovely juniper-led opening, the star of the show is ultimately the Haitian vetiver, with its nutty earthiness weaving throughout the composition. Also, discreet traces of violet are occasionally discernible. Exuding a soft sweetness from the labdanum, the transition from beginning to end is relatively smooth.

Although Grenadille d'Afrique doesn't reach the heights of the first four frankincense-based releases, it's still an improvement on Aedes de Venustas' last two duds. However, what prevents an extra star from being awarded is its lack of presence on the skin, which is a pity as its low-key woodiness does possess some charm.


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