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.

Another Montana men's unisex banger. It opens up a little sweet and dry, strangely smelling like its namesake. As he dries down, the cedar an guiac shine as guest stars in a unisex spicy oriental that would easily sell for $100 at 50 ml through ELdO. But there's something about that Montana DNA. Something about how they manage moss, amber, bergamot, and florals that always provides a distinct Montana funk. It's remarkable and one reason I'm obsessed with the house. It's very similar to woody, spicy ELdO scents, but there's a bit of Montana PDP or even Claude Montana hiding in the bushes, with eyes glowing through the shadows on its face. Really effing cool. I'd recommend this as a good cheap grab for any man or woman.

Swoon worthy...this is a light but lovely peppery cedar with a gentle sweetness. I am a woman who has been trying so called "mens" scents. I am looking for woody fragrances in particular. This frag stays close to the skin. I get the pencil shaving references...love that smell. Really LOVE this one. It is safe to wear in crowded spaces and definitely office friendly. This fragrance reminds me of Diors Dune . I love wearing it in winter with chunky wooden jewelry.

If you've ever built or sat on a recently built Cedar deck you will recognize Graphite immediately, it's the sweet smell of freshly cut Cedar. This is just a flat out beautiful and natural fragrance for Cedar lovers. Check it out!! Update: The sprayer doesn't put out a whole lot of juice, you have to do a couple sprays to get the amount you would with one spray from a good atomizer. This would be my only complaint with Graphite.

I've got batch 17/01/007060/10 Made in France by Empire of Scents. This is a version with the traditional wood ash cap but without the leather belt. Instead it has a black sticker with silver letters. The scent is great and smells like the original formula. Sandalwood is prominent on the opening, reminding vaguely of Santal 33, but the other woods quickly become more prominent. Love this scent, another banger by Lorson.

Smells like Carbone de Balmain.....YES But Graphite is somehow deeper than Carbone. I get double the projection from Graphite than I do with Carbone. I have the latest formulation of Carbone...maybe the previous one is more like the depth of Graphite...??? No matter....for the prices being low....I am glad I own both!! But, I think i will pass on the new Graphite flanker...Graphite Oud

Graphite is all autumnal heart, mind, body and soul. This lovely tonic captures the subtleties of a seasonal shift. I liken it to "a letting go" and to "a moving forward". It is a cedar chest of dusty, rusty, misty, creamy hints of peppered violet thoughts and dry resinous etchings. If penciled thoughts had a scent, Graphite would be it. Reflective glory indeed! Beautiful!

One of the nicest woody perfumes in my opinion. Graphite is quite potent, and beautifully woody, earthy and a little floral. I can detect a Lee Cooper Originals note in there too. It dries down to a lovely smell that reminds me of new pencils. Lots of character here too.

Fantastic scent ❤️ pretty close to Carbone by Balmain no wonder why Natalie lorson is the nose for both fragrances! Today we lost Claude Montana so I wear graphite in his dear memory ❤ RIP Claude 🙏

So good. Very protective. Smells like an Incense Cedar (West North America) fragrance. A graphite bomb. Very Office Safe and deep protection. Great bottle!

Very good frag,it makes me feel really in an old drawing studio,pencils,rubbers,scrubbed paper,ink.Suggestive.Not really strong,but alluring.

Dill pickles be damned! I love it. In fact, I like it better than Encre Noir!!!

Nostalgic and warm, a reliable presence.

Montana Graphite is a very different animal than what I am normally used to. I blind bought a bottle based solely on interesting notes and the ever helpful reviews. Btw, thank you all for the wonderful insights, and for yet another blind buy success! Where to begin? At first sniff, Graphite is a dead ringer for what you get when you bring together a gross of fresh #2 pencils, one of those old grade school manual sharpeners (without the cover that catches the shavings) and a kid with OCD and a bad attitude - a punch in the nose with a fistful of cedar shavings and graphite powder. Straight up, that's what you get. Any other opening notes are simply there to accentuate that effect. [Sidenote: If your sinuses aren't quite on point, this can fleetingly come across like pickle juice. I don't know how or why, but it did that for me early this morning. And yeah, it was just me. But it's still kinda funny how one substance can be so easily made to smell like another, under the right (or in this case, wrong) conditions. If the same happens to you, don't let that put you off -- stay the course!] On dry down, you get more of the same, but a bit softer and more complex. Amber notes warm it up and round it out just a bit. I would wish for a bit more of this effect in the first couple of hours, as it's still mostly cedar. Think of a room paneled with reclaimed vintage cedar planks, fireplace ablaze on a cold winter's day. As hours 3-4 progress, I pick up just the slightest hint of base notes benzoin and sandalwood, not quite harmonizing with the heart of cedar and amber. The effect is the most delicate vanillic sweetness against a still gently sharp cedar backdrop. This would be an absolutely magical transformation, were it not still overwhelmed by the still dominant cedar note. Waiting for a transformation that never really comes. I'm left lamenting over the unrealized potential of Graphite, but for its fatally heavy-handed use of cedar. Not that it's terrible, mind you - I still like it and don't regret the purchase at all. But I have a hard time *loving* any fragrance that so willfully asserts a single note to the expense of what is actually a well selected set of supporting notes. A more balanced use of amber, sandalwood, benzoin, violet, etc., would have really elevated Graphite to something incredible. Such potential, such a tease. There is a cure - for those who don't mind the fuss of layering. In spite of its obvious flaws, this scent makes me curious to try the other creations of Nathalie Lorson. In the future, I look forward to eventually finding a "blacker," more perfect version of Graphite, with more assertive amber/sandalwood/tonka notes. I could not imagine a more magical combination in a masculine fall/winter scent.

I have to respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer. I have both Graphite and Bentley Momentum Intense -- and the two could not be much more different IMO. BMI (as I have reviewed) is more of a freshy that shares elements of the male and female versions of D&G Light Blue. It's light, bright and fresh, and presents more of a summer feel to it. It's also IMHO quite common and pedestrian for what it is. Definition of average, if that's what you're shooting for. Graphite, on the other hand is something entirely different. Aside from the almost zero note commonality with BMI, its feature notes are very well understood here -- you have a dry cedar with an ever-so-light smoky element from the guaiac, paired up with a rather green and sharp violet leaf -- which in combination produces an opening that is almost analogous to pickle juice soaked wood. As it opens up, some softening and warming does emerge, making Graphite a very pleasant wear for those who like cedar and violet leaf. Make no mistake, this is not some summer aquatic -- it's woodsy/floral all the way, in that order. For those who think it's bad, I challenge you to think of it as incomplete. It would definitely benefit from some added warmth and depth -- or some elevation of lightness via floral notes -- depending on what you're shooting for. For example, this layers nicely with Molinard Cher Wood or MBZ Club Black for a touch of woody vanilla sweetness to add warmth and cut that pickle juice effect just a bit. Also plays well with Bentley Azure to play up that violet note and brighten things up for warmer weather wear. I have to say I've come full circle on this one, from love to hate (and sold my first bottle), back to curiosity and then love again. I think I just understand it better now. Love it or hate it, it is a bit polarizing, as any thoughtful work of art should be.

This is actually not so bad. The main issue is again the performance. You can get this for really cheap so just overspray it. Don’t hesitate. During the first hours of the day you will have this sweet woody smell. When the dry down arrives it does not develop into anything special and by the time you leave office you will have a faint trace on your skin. And you can re-apply in the evening or wear something else without interfering. However, since I started applying this heavily compliments have been flooding in at work, just the same as they did with Carbone. God knows my workmates have smelled different perfumes on me but not many of them have left such and impression. So think about it maybe.