Serge Lutens is the darling of the niche perfumista world, and I have the highest admiration for his work. But Serge and me, we’re kind of going through a rough patch lately. I was looking over the fragrances he’s released since I started this blog, and I have to say that if this list represented the entirety of his output, my estimation of the line would quite different:

Borneo 1834 (2005) — hated it.

Cèdre (2005) — I can see why some people adore Cèdre, but it has never really grown on me.

Miel de Bois (2005) — probably my favorite of this group, but I’d be shocked if this sells. Most people apparently think it smells like urine.

Gris Clair (2006) — not me.

Chypre Rouge (2006) — admire it, but don’t adore it.

Mandarine Mandarin (2006) — ditto.

Rousse (2007) — I really liked Rousse. Not quite so much as Miel de Bois, maybe, but it is higher on the wearability scale. Of all these, this might be the one I’d most like to own.

So now we have Louve, the “She-Wolf”. It is the lastest to join the export line…

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Mandarine Mandarin was launched by Serge Lutens last year; like most of the line, it was created in collaboration with perfumer Christopher Sheldrake. The notes include Chinese orange, nutmeg, clove, candied mandarin, orange peel, smoky tea, rock rose, labdanum, tonka bean, musk and ambergris.

Out of the last handful of releases from Serge Lutens, there has only been one I’ve been really dying to own, and that is the much maligned Miel de Bois. The rest (Borneo 1834, Cedre, Gris Clair, Chypre Rouge), well, it isn’t that I didn’t like them (ok, I didn’t like Borneo at all) so much as that I didn’t adore them enough to want a bottle. They have all been interesting, mind you, I just don’t adore any of them.

Mandarine Mandarin, happily or not (my wallet is certainly pleased) falls into that category…

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