Bois Sacre Parfum

Bois Sacre, or sacred wood, is an artistic rendering of the yin and yang character of two of the most precious woods in the world, namely Indian oud and sandalwood. Cleverly playing the animalic, leathery sourness of Indian oud off against the buttery, aromatic dryness of Indian sandalwood, the result is a scent that is exuberantly rich and full-flavored but not in the slightest bit heavy. The medley of woods here seems to shimmer in the air like the red dust over a North African desert. If the woods are remarkably airy, the doughy, treacly resinousness of labdanum moves quickly into place underneath to ground them. Growing ever drier and leatherier over time, we love how the labdanum lends an earthy, resinous heft that acts as a center of balance for the scent without ever drowning the woods in the buttery sweetness of vanilla. There's even a dusty ??hot paper' note in the drydown that makes us think of benzoin, even though none is listed. Dry but rich, this is the perfect woody oriental for cold weather.