L'Heure Exquise

By far my favourite Bortnikoff. I experienced around 12 of his fragrances and thought he couldn't get any better until I tried the 2020 version of this (I think some of the reviews here refer to the first batch which I never had the chance to smell and reportedly had a stronger oud which I guess explains some challenging smells you can't find anywhere now). Together with Oud Maximus and Musk Khabib, L'Heure Exquise offers a perfect trio to get the best Dima has been able to reach so far imho. Not the easiest, nor the most mass appealing perhaps, but imo the best made, best ingredients, best blends... three jewels that deserve all the raves you've read here and more. I see a link between this jewel and two other fragrances from the same brand, Lucky Oud and Amber Cologne. It doesn't smell like either of those in the first moment when an explosion of top notch flowers, spices, bitter cocoa and rubbery oud strike and dazzle your senses but it definitely shares the chocky floriental dna of Lucky Oud without getting weird at any moment or too sweet like LO sometimes does to me and definitely cocoa here is handled much more harmoniously at the back, bitter, elegant, only in a supporting role. So I don't see L'HE as a gourmand really... every ingredient has its starring moment... notes that appear and disappear... but it is essentially a floral with guests performing golden moments in a seamless blend, if that makes any sense. Then L'HE transforms dramatically into a mouthwatering ambergris bomb and the connection to Amber Cologne is evident, think of a stronger AC in its ambergris phase without the citrus (which is my dealbreaker in that one unfo) with champaca, bitter oud and the softest of spices lurking in the back... salty saliva fest indeed. So my only word of caveat is: if you dislike ambergris in all its glory or flowers galore such as tuberose in Tubereuse Criminelle (here champaca and jasmin)... then perhaps it's not for you. Lovers of unisex florals, the best materials and performance... give it a try! I am hooked. PS: yes, it also smells like the best tutti frutti chewing gum you'll ever come across!!! I never thought it could carry such sexy connotations.

I've been waiting on reviewing this one till I'd really gotten a good feeling for it, but I still will not be able to do it justice. This is an unsung gem in the Bortnikoff lineup - maybe even a masterpiece. I can't compare it to anything I've smelled before. Here goes nothing. The first thing I smell is the brightness of champaca and jasmine, the richness of cacao, the sharp woodiness of cedar and camphor, and the beautiful chocolatey bitterness of Vietnamese oud. It keeps you guessing - is it a gourmand? Not quite. Woody? Definitely. Resinous? Yep. Floral? Of course. Oud? It subtly makes its presence known early and sticks around. As it dries down the sweetness of the florals dies away completely and gives way to bitter oud, cypriol, myrrh, camphor and salty ambergris. The transition is quite breathtaking - like you're getting two completely different fragrances in one. I'm at a loss for words in trying to explain what this smells like. The best I can convey is that it's sharply woody/camphorous with a gentle floral/resinous sweetness at the top which dries down to very bitter woods. You really have to experience it for yourself. It's the kind of scent that fragrance enthusiasts will love to dissect. In my opinion, it falls under the category of wearable art. And it IS wearable. For all its complexity it is an absolute pleasure to wear. You owe it to yourself to wear at least a decant's worth if you like unique fragrances.

The eagle has landed, all the way from Thailand delivering one of the most exquisite oud perfumes ever made. Since the very first moment I smelled it from a sample vial , I knew this was something truly special. L’Heure Exquise unfolds on skin with radiant citruses and the extravagance of exotic flowers perfuming the photorealistic cacao note adding a floral gourmand chocolate dimension to the star of the show “oud”. As the composition warms up on skin the duality of indonesian and vietnamese oud begin to wrap the exotic champaca and jasmine, and ambergris adds a sweet mineral touch of exoticism, along with the incredibly long lasting cacao note, and spicy cardamom nuances. Throughout it’s development, L’Heure Exquise features slight animalic facets, sometimes leathery and dry, incredibly dark , woody, with a resinous quality. Overall, L’Heure Exquise is a super complex and intoxicating concoction, very intriguing, rare, it’s uniqueness makes it a true jewel for true perfume lovers, also the scent possesses gigantic lasting power and room filling projection. I’m so impressed with L’Heure Exquise and Oud Maximus, I can’t pick one over the other as a favorite, as they’re equally stunning.

What can i day about such a wonderful perfume! The opening is very intense and dirty, with all these ápices and a very and medicinal noticeable oud. I has on the background this tipical Barn smell which is at the same time diagusting but very addictibe that most oud perfumes have. With the deydown the cocoa, champava and flowers begin yo appear making the fragance a bit less sweet but much nicer and weareable. After one hour the amber gets protagonismo and the fragance is fabulous. It is still Spicy and remember me a lot, even when It is not listed, to the smell of White pepper, maybe because if the mix between the clove and the Jasmine... I would recommend this perfume to all the ápices and strong fragances lovers, although the dry down is much more subtle. Scent: 9.5 Longevity: 9 Sillage: 8 Originality: 9 Versatility: 5 Quality/price: 5 ( It is expensive but has a very good quality) Global: 8 5

In my humble opinion, L'heure Exquise is an abstract Masterpiece by Bortnikoff, and the most interesting from the ones I have tried. It takes patience to appreciate it, I found it overwhelming the first time I tried it. I don't think it's a crowdpleaser, actually no one liked it in my entourage, and they laughed at me because of the price I payed for it. But then, when you train your nose and start understanding its different facets, it becomes addictive and a scent that makes you contemplative to its complexity... at least for me. It is a spicy, tropical florals concoction with a rich oceanic/sea vibe because of the prominent Ambergris note, and a dark sweet background thanks to the VERY natural Tonka bean. It is like having a cocktail in Krabi, yet it has the Parisian Dandy vibe to it. Not a safe blind buy, try it first ! 9.5/10 , great Job Dmitry !