Notte
Acqua di Portofino (2015)

90's in style but 80's in soul (the deep dry down) and with a vague marine twist. Notte Eau de toilette Intense is my first approach with the refined italian niche perfume-House Acqua di Portofino, a promising exclusive brand counting among its ranks an experienced high perfumer the caliber of the great Maurizio Cerizza (Roccobarocco, Cale Fragranze d'Autore with the amazing creations Preludio d'Oriente and Mistero, Onyrico, Panama 1924, Profumi di Pantelleria with the supremely weird and boisterous Maestrale, just to quote several). Well, this fragrance is really amazing guys, I'm impressed. Despite not properly being my ideal kind of perfume-style Notte Intense has fully caught up my pleasure and attention. The great quality of this fragrance is the Cerizza's skillful ability to conjugate mediterranean "seaside kind of nostalgic" poetry and super-virile traditional italian olfactory masculineness, overall in a quite impeccable creation that inspires at same time either the idea of a "reserved" (almost shy and surely refined) mediterranean dreamer (inclined to loneliness and nostalgia, with love for the poetry and the sea enlightened at night) and the image of a reassuring virile well tailored protective man, strong, broad minded, mondane, unapologetic and full of charm (with appreciation for the impeccable italian style, a la Caraceni 1913). Notte Intense is indeed at same time a fragrance with a poetic Mediterranean meditative (kind of introspective) dry musky-floral temperament and with a quite warmer spicy/herbal/woody/leafy virile vibrant (gentlemanly and mondane a la V&A Tsar) appeal. Another quality of this fragrance is that it combines a typical classic woody-herbal (aromatic fougere) tradition (a la Borsalino by Borsalino) with a more recent 90's woody-floral (slightly marine) "melancholic" execution a la Guy Laroche Horizon or Joop Nightflight. This is the scent of an endless italian summer night populated by ghosts and fairies, islands and swinging boats, couples in love and unrequited loves, far memories and secret pains, bonfires and struggling songs played by guitar on the shore next to the sea. This is a fragrance that whispers all the secrets of an italian seaside summer night, the coast's promenade illuminated by the Portofino's shimmering lights, something really close (even if far spicier/earthier and more complex) in style to romantic summery scents a la Joop Nightflight (like ideally encountering in a game of "amorosi sensi" scents a la Bleu de Chanel Edp, Lanvin L'Homme, Bond N. 9 Wall Street, Guy Laroche Horizon, Henry Cotton's in Blu, Chopard Heaven, Byblos Uomo and Cool Water Davidoff) but far more refined, complex, virile and mysterious. I detect the marine accord (well calibrated and connected to hesperides, which I'd define aqueous and not thoroughly ozonic-marine) but I even pick up a kind of fougere herbal tone, a soapy spiciness, a really piquant/ambery/woody more restrained masculine dry down (with powerhouse nuances and conjurations in style). There is a floral soft poetic twist in the air (aqueous and moody) while I get a pungent (almost animalic) salty-organic vibe conjuring the warmth of a mature man-skin's "pheromonial" aroma under the bed sheets. What else? A deep and encompassing (even aromatic) earthy-herbal-vaguely smokey hidden soul (olive wood, butterbush and further aromatics) conjuring me vaguely scents a la Borsalino Chapeau, Clive Christian X for men and Pomellato Uomo. The olive oil-presence introduces a soothing soapy refined element which (connected to warm musk) counteracts the hidden grassy/leafy rootiness while the "aqueous floral presence" fills the wide residual olfactory space. Dry down is really bold and virile since olive wood, musk and ambergris provide an extremely charismatic and commanding spicy/earthy, organic and musky-rough restrained trail. I recommend to purchase this great fragrance to all those dreaming gentlemanly free-spirits with good taste, mediterranean sense of class and refinement, love for the sea, the yachting marinas, the little ship's stores, for the starry italian summer-night (with its boats, fires, the seaside little family -run restaurants, the moonlight reflected on the sea-water) and with the supreme belief that life must be fully enjoyed by travelling, exploring new lands, tasting excellent foods&wines and following love relentlessly till the end all over the world.