Graphite

Anyone who came of age in the 1980s (like I did) would recognise Claude Montana’s style: he inspired that distinctive “eighties” look with big shoulder pads for women, and big shoulder pads plus baggy trousers for men. Montana is best known for his innovative use of leather and, like Gaultier, was often described as one of the enfants terribles of the fashion world. Graphite is beautifully presented in a clear glass flacon with a black faux leather label-sleeve with a matching black cap, content the colour of Scotch whisky. An awesome woody fragrance with a voluptuous Cedar-Guaiac thing going on. I’m not usually a fan of violet leaf, but here it's very subtle and imparts a kind of “moistness” which complements the woods perfectly. It reminds me of that “cucumber” AC in Santal 33, insofar as it brings the same three dimensional quality to a woody composition with a sense of moistness, fullness and depth to the wood. . The very first thing I got when I first wore this is a sense of familiarity I couldn't place - this reminds me of Bentley Absolute, with its cedar and papyrus (and Gucci PH 2003). Graphite is fairly linear, resinous and woody. The only noticeable difference (to me) between the opening and the dry down is that the violet leaf gradually fades. Elegant but simple, straightforward and unpretentious. Although pleasant, polite and respectable it’s not exactly “sexy” - what I mean is that Graphite doesn’t smell inherently romantic in a traditional sense, in the style of the iconic fragrances of the early 20th century which were made with implicit olfactory references to sex and genitalia - indolic, animalic, erotic - like the fragrances created by Jacques Guerlain, whose perfumes were inspired by the sweaty, post-coital aromas emanating from the nether regions of his mistress. Jicky for example, (the signature scent of Jackie Kennedy) was inspired by the sweaty crotch of Guerlain’s mistress after hot sex, to which it is an olfactory allusion. Graphite could be worn by a priest without endangering his vow of celibacy. Not a bad thing by any means - because it doesn't scream "Desperado on the prowl" it's totally office safe, polite and work friendly. It's something one could wear on a date, to a funeral or a church service - versatile enough for any occasion. If I remember rightly Montana had financial problems sometime around 2009 and his label went out of business but it seems Graphite remains in production - designer fragrances are often manufactured under license by an entity unrelated to the label (usually one of the “Big Perfume” multinationals) or a different company entirely (Givenchy Perfumes for example has nothing to do with the couture label of the same name). In any case Graphite is a full-bodied, straightforward, elegant, woody fragrance. I bought it after smelling it on someone else and am glad I did. Cedar is a remarkably versatile note - it works in harmony with other woods to enrich and enhance Sandalwood and Palo Santo/Guaiac Wood (à la CDG Wonderwood and Kenzo Jungle Homme); then there’s cedar resin, which stars in Hermès Rocabar, and presents a unique cedar scent profile, smoky and resinous. The cedar note in Montana Graphite is very different to most and quite lovely, kind of herbaceous and "wet" if you know what I mean, with a meditative quality that reminds me of Gucci Pour Homme 2003 If you like Cedar, Graphite is a safe blind buy, very wearable, versatile and office friendly. Performance is average - Graphite sits fairly close, and longevity on my skin is around 4 hours, longer in Winter, although others seem to detect it after I no longer can. If you like Azzaro Visit, Bentley Absolute and the 2003 version of Gucci Pour Homme you’d probably like this. Update: Wore this the other night and could still smell it the next morning after a sleep so longevity appears to be better than I first thought.

Take a cedar tree, cut it with a chainsaw, and stick your nose on it while there is still wood dust in the air: you have Graphite. Alternatively, take Encre Noire, substitute vetiver with cedar, and here you go: you get Graphite. Very strong Cedar/wood chips/pencil shavings opening, supported by a hint of bergamot, and black pepper that will stay until the end. Shortly after a subtle dark floral note appears (violet), as well as some sweet wood (santal/benzoin). Not completely linear, but the cedar always stays in the front, and the (subtle) variations happen in the background. When I first sprayed it, I got a little concerned as it is quite strong, and not easy to pull off. That said, after an hour it cools down a bit, and becomes more balanced with moderate projection. Great longevity. Pretty rough top, but very elegant base once the santal, amber and violet comes in. A great creation from Nathalie Lorson, who keeps surprising me with her creative boldness. (Bentley Intense? No worries Nathalie, I already forgave you this slip-up!) Given the current prices, it's a no-brainer! Winter days, 20-50.

Love this - Cedar heaven. Three wood notes dominate throughout with a hint of pepper and all rounded out with an amber accord and a smoothing benzoin note. So it's quite creamy altogether but with an acidic edge like the sap in cut wood. I saw logs for my fire and often sniff them when they've fallen off the bench just cut, and the smell is a less concentrated version of this. I thought this was a linear scent when I first got it, but now I get the floral notes too pushing through adding interest. I understand the references to pencil-shavings but think that 'Graphite' is the lead of the (possibly chewed) pencil rather than the wood, that smooth/sharp sweet/sour tone a little reminiscent of what's achieved in Anthracite. The Notes section uses the word 'Metallic' to describe violet leaf so maybe this with the lemony geranium and sharp bergamot combine to give an impression of the tang of tongue on carbon. Great for the price, lasts ages on my skin, and is useful for layering too. A winner.

Well, what a fragrance. This got recommended to me on the forum so I took a gamble and bought it. It is the perfume that Muglers Pure Wood should have been (which I owned and fairly recently sold as it was a quite nauseating). This is refined, very unique yet very familiar in the best possible way. Its like a weird lovechild of Dior Homme and Juicy Couture Dirty English with a hint of something sweet...like parma violets....But not in an obvious way. Its not a great one for someone who only wears it on skin, but under clothes this really lasts leaves a big scent trail. I would say it is a safe blind buy for someone who likes woody fragrances and for the price I paid (£19 delivered on eBay right now) its an absolute steal. The box is a bit naff, but the bottle is simple, heavy and satisfying to hold. Looks nicely understated. If you dont have anything like this in your collection you should definitely give it a go.

Straight to the point. Pure scent of pencil shavings - and that's a great thing! Because sometimes you just need a tried-and-tested, unpretentious, even basic tool to get the job done - that's what a pencil is for and that's what this scent is for as well. This is a delightfully honest, straightforward mid-woody scent with a cedar that's never sharp or acrid, but rather mellower, and a lovely clean and spare feel to it. Have to say I don't detect any of the notes individually - there's no aura of flowers or spices to me, just a beautifully solid and well-judged, moderate cedar. Completely unisex (it's not at all too masculine for female lovers of woody scents, and does not get into butch-aftershave territory) and outrageously good value for money. It has integrity! One of the absolute favourite cheapies in my collection and one of the few things I'm happy to have gambled a blind buy on.