I know that for most of the world the floral scent of spring is rose. I live in a place where that isn’t true. In the Washington DC area we are obsessed with the phases of the cherry blossoms. It is only after living here that I know the difference between peduncle elongation and full bloom. When peak bloom is achieved it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. There is a delicacy to the blossoms which is magnified when the entire tidal basin is covered in trees sporting them. I have become one who views the evolution of each season’s cherry blossoms as my spring fever thermometer.
Marie-Helene Rogeon
Which is why I carry my seasonal grumpiness about all the rose perfumes that come out in these early months of every year. They have a way of affecting my mood in a less positive way. I always ask for a different spring flower as keynote. Another thing I could ask for is to create a rose accord as an abstraction of the real thing. That would be appealing. When I received my samples of this year’s releases from Rosine I didn’t know that Rosine Rose Griotte was going to satisfy both wants.
Nicolas Bonneville
One thing I always undervalue with Rosine is the creative direction of Marie-Helene Rogeon. She has developed a brand which has explored everything there is about rose in perfume. It has remained a relevant brand because she never rests on the same old tired tropes. She collaborates with perfumer Nicolas Bonneville for Rose Griotte.
The keynote floral is cherry blossom. There is little chance any rose essential oil woudn’t trample the delicacy of that. So they make the clever choice to use a rose accord of three fresh florals as its balancing partner.
It begins with a juice dripping, fruity top accord around pear. There is a bit of citrus and baie rose to provide some rounding effect, but the earliest moments are a ripe pear. Then the heart finds the beautiful powdery fragility of the cherry blossom matched with an expansive rose accord of peony, jasmine, and heliotrope. The last also has a bit of cherry in its scent profile which allows it to act as complement. A clean woody base of cedar and white amber complete things.
Rose Griotte has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
This is not the first time Mme Rogeon has worked with a rose accord. It shows the creativity of the brand is still in good hands even after thirty years. If you want to have your rose and cherry too; Rose Griotte should be on your to-try list.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample from Rosine.
–Mark Behnke
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