Gucci pour Homme (2003)

I will write right away that my adventure with perfumes began with this first notification a few years ago... it was signaled to me by a friendly distributor, with a trademark for years... it was not the main user of this perfume, because of the keyword it smells... that it's some Gucci, but I don't remember the name, and it was given to me by my wife... additionally, that the perfume is contained in a square bottle made of thick glass.... on the same day that PH itself comes 😉 There is one of them and the most charming fragrances available, which will be available to touch and which will always be in my collection... there is also one of the last Gucci fragrances that is safely marked (the last one is Gucci PH II), which has its logo and at the same time appears as "the last of the Mohicans" - the quintessence of a characteristic, sophisticated style and substance... something that Gucci lost, consciously - in pursuit of Boss, Lacoste and other brands with fragrances that are nice, light and bring nothing, but provide considerable profits... So what is Pour Homme? It is heavy, spicy, woody and slightly oriental... It starts on the skin with a characteristic masculine pepper note, which, however, politely withdraws after a while, allowing the composition to breathe with its full spicy, powerful heart... Although the composition doesn't show it, I also feel cinnamon, cloves and much more precious wood than the manufacturer declares... It's hard to be surprised, after all, who would reveal the full composition of such a masterpiece... And the composition is undoubtedly a masterpiece that no manufacturer would be ashamed of - even a niche one... There are several fragrances similar to PH on the market, including: Azzaro Visit or Piver Epices, but none of them comes close to the "cinnamon prince" in terms of nobility, complexity and perfect combination of ingredients... It's hard for me to believe that a fragrance so complex and full of heavy, difficult to tame and strong scent notes was combined into such a uniform, smooth and coherent composition, in which each individual ingredient is a perfectly fitted element of the intricate puzzle from which this perfume was woven... Gucci PH is a fragrance that dominates its surroundings, is suggestive and does not allow the person wearing it to pass by indifferently... some people say that it smells like a pharmacy or a doctor's office... I only smell a composition filled with oriental spices and noble wood for a decisive and domineering man... if we combine it with wonderful projection, the dignity of the composition itself and the unprecedented lightness with which it bounces off the skin to leave a pleasant spicy tail and is characterized by the legendary durability of almost 12 hours... - we get a perfect fragrance!... yes, my dears, this is an example of good old Gucci... they don't make such fragrances anymore and they won't make them at Gucci... In addition, a beautiful warm cinnamon color, perfectly reflecting the character of the composition and using a massive black cork suggesting the use of the fragrance for the evening time of the day... The whole thing was enclosed in a relatively simple bottle made of thick glass, with an even thicker bottom resembling the shape and weight of whiskey glasses... what a simple but refined form... charming simplicity and a thoroughly masculine form, without unnecessary frills... The bottle perfectly harmonizes and blends with the color of the liquid and the fragrance itself, creating a perfectly tasteful and harmonious whole... Fragrance notes: Top note: white pepper, ginger, pink laurel Heart note: papyrus wood, iris Heart notes: amber, leather, vetiver, white incense.

Smooth and smoky, incense and cedar. Finally got myself a sample of this to compare to my much loved Bentley Absolute. Most of my review will be from the viewpoint of comparison with Bentley Absolute, because I bought that first, and have experience with it. If you have tried Bentley Absolute, you've smelled this before, it is that close. The 604 "reminds me of" votes here (as of May 2021) are spot on. The downvoters are most likely purists and diehard GPH owners who say that the Bentley could never compete, and in some regards it doesn't - but it is very close - and in all fairness, it doesn't need to compete. From the perspective of a Bentley Absolute wearer who may be curious about what this fragrance offers, I can attest that Bentley Absolute does not deviate far from what Gucci Pour Homme 2003 did first. The sour smoke note is incredibly similar. When I opened my sealed sample pouch, I knew instantly what I was getting - it gave the very familiar smell of Bentley Absolute. The best analogy I can come up with is that it's like two twins singing perfectly the same note, but their minor personality differences and differing life experiences allow you to distinguish which is preferred, "nicer" and more rounded. I find GPH rewards you for smelling up close, whereas Bentley is more akin to a large artwork that you're best admiring from a distance. Bentley sniffed too close can break the illusion as your nose picks out certain elements that contribute to the overall image. GPH up close does not suffer the same problem, but rather invites you to keep sniffing closer and closer. Bentley will constantly remind you of its presence all day, whereas GPH is content to wait for you. GPH is smoother - by which I mean there is a tighter focus on the woody notes with smoke and this makes it more photorealistic overall, whereas I think Bentley focuses more on pumping up the volume and giving the smoke some space, perhaps at the expense of some fireside realism. Bentley Absolute opens a touch greener/bright/woody/smoky, whereas Gucci tends more resinous/woody/smoky and stays that way. Again, the sour smoke effect is done in exactly the same style. I don't think it is over hyped. GPH 2003 is beautiful and there's certainly good reason for the love it gets. If you're just curious about the similarity to Bentley Absolute and don't want to shell out $500 for a bottle of this (if you could even find it) then rest assured, the scent is 90% similar in character. The 10% difference for me is in the overall aims of each; Gucci being a bit darker, closed off, rounded and realistic, high-definition, more reserved while Bentley's is slightly more loud, more open, a bit obvious, and less concerned with subtleties while still getting the same job done. If I had to boil it down to one point I'd suggest that Bentley Absolute was perhaps tweaked for loudness and cost vs GPH's more fleshed-out smoothness around the same theme.

★★★★★ A very interesting and refined blend of incense, cedar and pepper. I was gifted an 100ml bottle (only 40ml remaining) and I had to do the usual comparison with Bentley Absolue. I must confess, back in the day when Gucci pour Homme was around, I didn’t get the chance to test it. I was only focused on Envy, which is my favorite Gucci fragrance. Years later, after all the praise I blind bought a bottle of Bentley Absolue so I can sniff what the fuss was all about. I loved the smell, even if the performance was not that great on me. At this very moment, I finally have the original Gucci on my right hand (batch 0273) and the Bentley on my left. They smell almost identical, the only difference is that the Bentley comes across a bit brighter with a slight leathery oud nuance, whereas the Gucci in the dry down has a more prominent incense note. Having said that, I will say that both are average performers. (the Bentley has a bit more projection while Gucci better longevity) Please, do not spend the insane amounts on eBay! As a fellow fragrance aficionado who still misses his favorite scent D&G By Man (which I still haven’t found and I’ve been searching for so many years), I guarantee you the differences are very very minor. It’s the same formula! The same aromatics were used! Bentley doesn’t smell cheaper, you will get the whole effect with it. The statement that the same perfumer used the same formula in both scents is absolutely true! I feel like I need to get this out there (like many other reviewers have done) and prevent people from spending the crazy amounts of money instead of giving Bentley Absolue a try. Sometimes, when we can’t reacquaint with our favorite scent, we only keep the memory of it, therefore our perception is altered. I feel that’s the reason why many people here say that the Bentley is not even close to Gucci, which is f a u l s e. Bentley is really keeping this beautiful fragrance among us! I wish there was a substitute for D&G By, but I’m not as fortunate as all of the Gucci Pour Homme cult followers!

GPH feels warm and friendly, comforting yet dignified, self-assured and serene. GPH’s distinctive woodsy backbone reminds of my father, his library, desk, and armchair, and the subdued resins and incense add a meditative dimension, perhaps from memories of old temples in Kyoto, which have a very particular smell, probably due to centuries of burning expensive fragrant woods and temple incense. For me GPH is warm, relaxing and meditative. There’s a beautiful rich woodiness that reminds me of the finest aspects of sandalwood, cedar and patchouli united, then enriched and enhanced with other notes, that persists through to the dry down and create an overall impression of luxury. Don’t detect any leather in GPH but I think leather is more of an idea or an accord based on a fantasy rather than an actual organic component. Like the dried skin of a dead animal soaked in a putrefying enzyme solution. Performance is best in Winter, when GPH becomes an understated aura of meditative serenity that elicits compliments (from those close enough to smell it) Bentley Absolute is one of my favourites and unquestionably the closest thing to GPH on the market at present. Given the cult status of GPH it seems as though Mr Almairac created an heir to its legacy, a successor. I really enjoy GPH and as is the case with so many fragrances (like Egoïste) just wish I’d been a bit less profligate with it in the days before it became such a precious commodity. It is a very beautiful fragrance and one of Michel Almairac’s finest, but I wish it weren’t so rare and so expensive.

Purchased this one summer of 2004 for a lads holiday to Kavos in Gatwick duty free (how classy) and in my mind it 'knocked em bandy'....! Wasn't really into frags that much back then but remember this being warm spicy sweet woodsy with tang and floral aspects going on. I kept the cold heavy glass bottle only about 1/8 used for years and never used it then went off frags and then chucked it away! What an idiot! Happy memories and now that I am more interested in frags am gutted that this cannot be obtained any more (except risky Ebay over priced half used bottles) so that I can see if it still envokes the same emotions and actually smells as good as I remember. It would be great to be transported back to my carefree youth in the days when I wore this but also probably risky as would it still smell the same now anyway if it had carried on being produced?? (with the new rules on ingredients and volumes in frags etc....). Maybe it is best left to most people's memories or those lucky ones that retain some of the original. Case in point being Polo Sport which was one of my other first frag loves - boy what a synthetic mess of a cheap frag this is now but what I remember was totally different and to be honest I don't think I've got it wrong as I think smells stay with us imprinted on the brain. Maybe GPH just CAN'T be recreated and maybe they have tried hence it'll be no more.....great legend though and if anyone has any of the original going spare I'd happily take it off heir hands!