Parco Palladiano XIV: Melagrana

Fruity, woody, herbal, crisp! More blackcurrant than pomegranate for me, though the pomegranate is there. It gets more herbal (maybe bay leaf? or sage?) and woody as it dries down. Another reviewer thought the wood might be patchouli. I disagree but it's not impossible. This wood just smells a lot lighter and cleaner than any patchouli I've experienced before, hence my doubts. The notes say cedar, and perhaps that's it — but sometimes cedar has a habit of smelling like hamster cage shavings to me, and that's not happening here at all either. The dry down on this is really good. Not your typical non-descript musky mish-mash. This is soft, musky woods, and a light rose. I find it interesting that the notes listed for this fragrance are so spare; there's much more here than what is said. I really LOVE this category of scent - woody, herbal, blackcurrant (or blackberry) - and Melagrana is the best of this category I've smelled by far! Other fragrances I think of being in this category include Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay, Parfums de Marly Meliora, Dior Rouge Trafalgar, and Bottega Veneta Illusione. Not saying any of them smell alike or are dupes, they're just all in that same sphere of "crisp berry and wood." Of those, Melagrana is the most refined and has more prominent woods and herby green to it. Rouge Trafalgar, Blackberry & Bay and Illusione share second place. All three of those are little fruitier than Melagrana. They are different from one another but each divine. Meliora smells good too, it's the only PDM scent I've truly enjoyed so far. It's a little sweeter than the others in this bunch, which makes it more youthful but also less refined, IMO. Melagrana is unisex for sure — I see why people say this leans feminine but I can easily picture this on a man too. Longevity is actually pretty good. I still get that lovely drydown on my skin several hours in. On clothes it lasts an eternity. Projection is moderate; about arms length or so. I imagine most people will think of this as a spring and summer fragrance, but I LOVE this type of scent in the fall and winter. The cold really brings out the herbal qualities and there's something so festive about berries and woods together, especially in the fall. This is the second perfume I've smelled and instantly fallen in love with from BV's Parco Palladiano line. The other one I adore is VII: Lilla. Lilla actually unseated En Passant as my favorite lilac scent, and that's saying something! I'm excited to sample the rest.

Melagrana is a wish come true for me! I've always loved a good blackcurrant note in fragrances and often wished for a fragrance that focuses on this note but in just the right way. It starts out with very evident fruity note - blackcurrant, maybe even other berries and not just the fruit but with some leaves and stem. The berries are just ripe enough, sweet and juicy but the leaves and stem lend their green-ness that cut through sweetness in the opening aided also by the tartness from pomegranate. The fruity notes do however, get progressively sweeter as the green notes fade away but they never get too sweet because of an inherent watery undertone in this fragrance. It makes me think of a picnic on gorgeous summer day and big bowl of mixed berries, with some stem and leaves, with water droplets clinging to fruit and leaves, waiting to be eaten. The Parco line have some very summer appropriate fragrances with surprisingly good lasting power, the ones I tried at least and this fruity offering from the line is no exception, showcasing that fresh, bright and light characteristics beautifully. I look forward to busting this out when the warm weather finally rolls around.

Love it! Fruity Bomb but expensive. I rarely feel fruity scent as an expensive one. This one, however, smells really damn fruity and expensive with a hint of just about right green in it. I Iive in a tropical country, Thailand, and this one's for all year round. So I assume it is most suitable for summer and spring in other parts of the World. Luxurious and feminine scent that I can imagine any ages could wear it. Cassis and Berries are most prominent for the top note, then dry down into a light skin scent after 3 hours. Sweet and airy as well. My most beloved one in 2021.

Really really love this perfume. It's fresh, young, bubbly, and comforting at the same time. I almost purchased it but didn't. It's simply too expensive: $330 for 100ml in Canada. It reminds me of Dior Addict 2 - which is an all time favorite of mine that was discontinued to my greatest despair. Maybe one day I will purchase Melagrana. For now, I cannot justify the price.

The reviews below are so accurate. This is a bright, sparkling fruity scent, tart and lively. It embodies everything I love about currant! Part of me longs for a little something extra to give it complexity, like tomato or fig leaf, but I think I need to leave well enough alone and appreciate this for what it is– a delightfully straightforward fizzy treat.