Vocalise

Mmmmmm - now this, as a confirmed hater of most things fruity, I LOVE. Some delicious deeper notes of wood and what I thought was musk, but I guess must be the vanilla, give it real character, maybe even intelligence. This smells grown-up and lushly sensual. It dies down REALLY quickly - and the projection is never huge, after a feisty first burst of blackcurrant- but the lasting skin scent is lovely and gentle and amber, so no complaints there. I wouldn't go for a full bottle, but it is a very classy example of a fruity floral that doesn't cloy. I'd say almost completely feminine, but the woodsy/earthy notes might come out more on an adventurous man. More confirmation that MPG is a house that knows what it's doing.

Summer spring haze... I get an amusing combination of roses with ylang lightened by cranberries, with soapy sandal, and angelica amber breeze. This is quite amusing, and easy to wear blend. A combination of sweet fruit floral. Beautiful.

The house was founded by Jean-François Laporte after he left L’Artisan Parfumeur. The direction became more independent and experimental, though the experimentation leaned toward classical French perfumery rather than modern innovation. The name includes the word Gantier, meaning glove maker, referencing the historical tradition of perfumed gloves in France. The brand identity points back to the guild culture of glove makers and perfumers during the era of Louis XIV. Because of that positioning, it is understandable that many people find the style difficult to relate to. The aesthetic is intentionally traditional, and that has likely limited the brand’s broader popularity. Vocalise is one of the softer compositions within the line. It sits in the floral-fruity family, built around blackcurrant, red berries, rose, ylang-ylang, and a light herbal green nuance. The opening centers on blackcurrant and berries, showing a bright, slightly tart edge without confectionary sweetness. In the heart, rose and ylang-ylang bring a smoother, rounded character typical of older French floral styles. Angelica introduces a subtle green bitterness, preventing the composition from becoming purely sweet. The drydown rests on a light base of sandalwood, musk, and vanilla. The overall impression is clean, gentle, and somewhat nostalgic—a berry-floral profile with a clear vintage tone. It is well suited to those who appreciate traditional French floral-fruity perfumes.

Opened with a drab floral and powder reminiscent of something that might come in a plastic bottle and is marketed to little girls; I was ready to toss this one in the "give to someone I don't really like" pile. But then I went to the gym- and wow, what a little sweat can do- the powder disappeared and along came a very dry scent of fruit, apples as mentioned above, and the currants with a good balance between the angelica and the florals. Not sure if "workout scent" justifies the pricetag, but will give it another go- maybe for an outdoor event. Update- yeah this one needs hot weather and sweat to work on me, outdoor events, F1 race, gym. I keep on thinking I don't really like it- but I keep reaching for it, and I'm down to half a bottle. Interesting how such a simple scent can become so engaging- guess that's the whole point of a good niche fragrance :))

VOCALISE stands out in the crowd of black currant fragrances, I really did not have high expectations, but this surprised me. VOCALISE has the gourmand quality of a baked black currant pie, ylang-ylang here is so buttery that it instantly reminded me of freshly baked cake with loads of fats. Due to this it actually is a nice change after remembering so many fruity fresh black currant fragrances. The drydown though is very generic - musky berries. It also lasted for 5 hours which I guess is good for fruity fragrances and something made by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier in general as they do not stand out with excellent longevity. Try this if you love black currant and feel a need to try something different.