Vétiver Nocturne
Bortnikoff (2018)

I love vetiver, along with other earthy and green notes, so I was excited for this release. Unfortunately, the florals just overpower the composition for me. I've revisited it on several occasions but have never come around to it. Maybe one day it will click.

A perplexing, dazzling take on vetiver. Despite its name, Vetiver Nocturne is not an inky Black Vetiver, like Encre Noir or even a pure earthy Vetiver bomb, like Frederic Malle's Vetiver Extraordinare.

Instead, Bortnikoff uses a base of oakmoss and sandalwood(with some oud and ambergris) to amp up the creamy, minty facets of Ruh Khus(a pure Indian Vetiver) and a great burst of Jasmine and Champaca absolute to balance some sweetness against the earthen aspects of the grass.

At times the whole thing skews fruity-indolic, like very ripe bananas, papayas or mangoes. And at other times the various contrasts of fresh, floral, deep earthen, sweet fruit pushes it into Bortnikoff's somewhat familiar territory of bubble gum fit for a king.

This may sound off-putting but the whole thing is unexpectedly beautiful and wears like an exotic fougere from a undiscovered land. Old world, yet Sci-Fi. Very high quality naturals and meticulous blending. The perfumer, Dmitry Bortnikoff is surely a genius or an obsessive –or both. He spends all his time building castles in the sand: they exist for one batch and then are lost to history. Ephemeral even by perfume standards.

Vetiver Nocturne and the popular Bonheur exist in their own little subcontinent of Bortnikoff offerings, far from the Oud mainlands that have made this house's name(Dmitry co-owns Feel Oud, with russian adam of areej le dore, and is well respected in the oud community). I love Oud Maximus and Oud Monarch and yet I can't wait for more of these green scents from Bortnikoff.

Thumbs up!!!