Tuscany / Etruscan
Aramis (1984)

Notes pyramid from elsewhere
Top notes : Lemon, Lavender, Bergamot and Lime
middle notes : Anise, Caraway, Orange Blossom and Tarragon
base notes : Leather, Oakmoss, Basil, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cinnamon and Tonka Bean.

This is not a review; should have been in Private Notes.

ARAMIS TUSCANY PER UOMO
Technical Review

Launched in 1984 by the house of Aramis (at the time not owned by Estee Lauder) Aramis Tuscany was created by Francis Deleamont who was surprisingly never listed and mentioned by them !
Aramis Tuscany (to me) is a Citrusy Anisic Aromatic Fougere
It's a masterpiece in a way that along with Azzaro Pour Homme are always mentioned and admired as the two of the most successful fougeres.
When I first smelled it, it was such as a blast of light, freshness, excitement and happiness !
I don't want to categorise my perception and review in clishe of Top, Mid, Base as the whole fragrance is only one accord and I think it is not structured this way !
But how it smells?
It's a very bright, clear and (uplifting juice of citruses especially lemon) completely blended with aromatics such as Taragon and spices like anise and cinnamon. The overal tonality and texture is a very smooth and soft blend of citrus/orange blossom/spices trio with a very light background of moss/tonka/leather. but why the base notes are toned down? because the clarity and the beauty of this juice shouldn't have got sacrificed for its longevity !
I see a warm bright sweetness throughout its whole odor life which gives a golden hue, shine and sparkle to all the notes, but unlike today's perfumes which get their sweetness mainly from synthetic ambers and maltols, the coziness in Tuscany should come from anise, cinnamon and neroli.
This perfume like the other Aramises has a DNA of Aramis/ Aramis and Aramis/Devin which I think is due to a common accord of Basil, Cinnamon Moss, and Patchouli.
It has a nice sparkling aldehidic vibe (is it because of cinnamon and anise aldehydes?)
There is not much sandalwood or leather while mentioned in Fragrantica.
Unlike most temporary fragrances which are blured with foggy and confusing accords, Tuscany has a very solid, clear and understandable character
I love this perfume a lot and I personally have its vintage, its miniture and its current versions.
I strongly recommend it even as a blind buy

Time marches on as we want so dearly to hold onto tradition. Sketching the temporal landscape, we see in its topography peaks and valleys, progress and regress, and it's fascinating how fragrance can be a marker to a time that we may romanticize. For me, its fragrances like Tuscany Per Uomo, which I thoroughly love to wear regardless as to whether or not it is out of step with the times according to younger noses.

The 80s were my childhood and my association with role models from that time, who I looked up to and wanted to be when I "grow up." Here I am, more than grown up, and I wear this with pride and satisfaction, but I do know something: all was not ideal 40 years ago. If I were just ten years older, I'd be dealing with a lot of ignorance and crap that I am happy I missed.

I quote the poet laureate Billy Joel from his "Keeping the Faith": 'Cause the good ole days weren't always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

But I digress—Tuscany Per Uomo could be considered an "also ran" from Aramis to appeal to the tastes of those who enjoy Azzaro Pour Homme but want a little something more. That "more" here is brighter citruses, lemons and limes that herald the anise and caraway (not cumin as other reviewers suggest) that build upon the brightness with their warmth and texture. Though I do quite enjoy APH, I appreciate Tuscany even more so. It dries into a manly, yet comforting embrace of leather, sandalwood, moss and spice (a bit of Epicene base perhaps). The Gentleman's Collection version bears little difference to the original so fear not, you would not need to add more credit card debt to enjoy its beauty, though with the GC version also discontinued, that too is rising in price.

Talk about a classical cologne.

So I'm putting it more in the aftershave and classical barbershop fresh category. It is more suited to older guys. Pulling this off below a certain age (I can't put my finger on) will be challenging. Very citrusy in the open.

It has now dried down. And I am surprised how it now smells similar to Wilkinson shaving soap. Or is it a Gilette product? Anyway, it's a pleasant smell.

This in my opinion lowers the age barrier but again I can't quite put a number on it. On me, I just can't pull it off I'm afraid but I do enjoy it.

This is a winner from Aramis. I was so impressed the first time I smelled it, from a vintage sample. It starts like a fresh Eau de Cologne, like something that might be light, but it turns increasingly masculine, with more of an after shave vibe, and also stronger smelling as the patchouli comes to the fore.

It does smell like what I think of as geranium.

I wore this on an early date with the person I'm still dating, which is a sign that I was into it, and she loved it.

With the myriad of smell-alike fragrances out there (a la Sauvage), I decided to revisit an old favorite of mine - Tuscany. Truth be told, I haven't smelled this since the 1990's but remember loving it. My initial impression was that the opening was a little 'different' from the original but still pleasing to my olfactory senses. As most will tell you the dry-down is worth waiting for! Glorious! Quite different from the new school frags and beautifully warm and woody/musky/mossy. I blind-bought a bottle of this for under $25 which in my mind is a no-brainer. Nothing offensive or overly cloying about it. Rather it feels like a familiar warm blanket on a cold day. I will definitely keep this beauty in my rotation going forward.