It’s taken me a while to discover the Parisian ceramics brand Astier de Villatte (https://www.astierdevillatte.com/en/), but better late than never. The brand has been around since the mid-90s and has been making fragrances since 2008. Their portfolio currently has 13 perfumes. Employing world-renowned perfumers such as Dominique Ropion, Christophe Raynaud, and Alexandra Monet, their perfumes have impressed me. A few of them have a vintage quality, which is no bad thing. They smell like some effort and thought has been put into each composition, and their perfumes come in very nice-looking hand-blown glass bottles.
The one I enjoyed most from their lighter cologne collection, comprised of six perfumes, was Grand Chalet, composed by Françoise Caron. It’s the brand’s take on the scent of the Grand Chalet’s garden (specifically a linden tree) in the Swiss Alps. However, I wouldn’t call Grand Chalet a traditional cologne, as the only citrus I pick up is a hint of bergamot in the top phase. Though, like a cologne, it radiates a bright, happy vibe from the outset. The brightness here comes from a trio of florals. Indeed, if you’re after a scent that approximates the sweet, honeyed aroma of linden combined with the powdery puff of mimosa, Grand Chalet may be worth a shot.
Heliotrope completes Grand Chalet’s floral trio—and there’s a good dose here. Its almond vanillic-like qualities impact Grand Chalet into the drydown. The presence of both the heliotrope and the mimosa makes me think of a couple of Frederic Malle’s scents: L’Eau d’Hiver and Une Fleur de Cassie. The linden element recalls L’Ete en Douche from L’Artisan Parfumeur. To my nose, Grand Chalet most closely resembles L’Eau d’Hiver. However, Grand Chalet has a brightness that outshines the Malle winter water. Its yellow florals and tones are more evocative of summer and sunshine, whereas the Malle smells powdery and almost icy.
As the fragrance develops, I pick up a hint of green grass/leaves, which extends the freshness. The fragrance closes out on a bed of light musks, creamy sandalwood, and the vanillic trail of heliotrope. It has decent lasting power for a cologne, lingering for 5-6 hours on my skin. 50ml of juice will set you back 85 Euros or 145 Australian Dollars. Their fragrances are reasonably priced for the quality.
Have you tried this brand? Do you have a favourite yellow floral perfume?
Note: All pictures are my own, other than the image of the bottle (Google). I purchased my sample of Grand Chalet.
