Montana Parfum d'Homme

THE CHRITMAS TREE SCENT The recollection of certain odours is always with us throughout our lives. It can be discreet and silent, but it's always ready to surprise us. A handful of years ago, I visited an African country where I lived for a few years during my childhood. As I passed the exit door of the plane, I caught a strong whiff of damp red earth that immediately made me travel back in time to when I was eight years old. I never imagined that I would still have that pungent scent so vividly registered in my memory. Another fragrance family that both Europeans and Americans immediately recognise is the aroma associated with the Christmas season. This cosy smell is traditionally tied to the gastronomy of the festive season. Depending on the different geographies and their respective cuisines, the variety and quantity of spices can differ considerably. In some countries, cinnamon and vanilla are the favourites, while in others ginger leads the way. As far as beverages are concerned, some prefer to drink brandy or hot absinthe, while others will enjoy their delicacies alongside a glass of good port wine, or even a mug of warm, enveloping cocoa. The mixture of all these aromas is undoubtedly associated with the festive family dinner on Christmas Eve and the lively morning of December 25th. But there is one corner of the house that smells different from Christmas desserts and boozy liqueurs. I'm referring to the space occupied by the traditional Christmas tree. This reminder of ancient pagan times always stands out for its clean, starchy, waxy, piney and sometimes citrusy smell. Notes of leathery and mossy wood hang in the air, as does the unmistakable aroma of pine needles. Amongst the delicious spicy delicacies on the table, we can also get slight smelly nuances of floral bouquets and honey-tinged sweets. Balsamic smoke can also emanate from the fireplace. The whirlwind resulting from all these accords constitutes the essence of the perfume around the Christmas tree. Montana Parfum d'Homme really does smell like a Christmas tree. The spicy aldehydes at the opening contribute to this. The same goes for the heart notes, where the sharp pine needles are sweetened by flowers and mixed with the woody background and the strong leathery moss. This classic, masculine scent reminds me of other perfumes. Chanel's ‘Antaeus’ and Guerlain's ‘Derby’ spring to mind, but perhaps its greatest similarity is with Aramis' “Havana”, launched five years later. Its perfumer, Edouard Flechier, worked several times with the remarkable Jean Guichard. I consider Flechier to be a phenomenal magician who signed masterpieces such as Dior's original ‘Poison’, Christian Lacroix's ‘C'est la Vie’, ‘Courrèges in Blue’, Frederic Malle's ‘Lys Méditerranée’ and ‘Une Rose’ and Valentino's ‘Vendetta Uomo’. I don't think he ever fought for prominence and his name often gave way to that of Givaudan, the company he worked for almost all the time. The art deco bottle, shaped like the Tower of Babel, created an unmistakable ‘Montana’ style. This ‘Babel’ presentation was later joined by the ‘Montana Parfum d'Elle’ and ‘Montana Parfum de Peau’ bottles. Although discontinued, ‘Montana Parfum d'Homme’ is still easy to find in perfume distributers and web stores. Here are my rates for "Montana Parfum d'Homme": __ __ __ __ __ - Opening: 8.0 (pleasant clean aldehydes and spicy notes) - Drydown: 9.0 (manly mossy and woody accords; the key leather note is a must) - Longevity: 8.0 (not a power house; up to 8 hours with 3 sprays) - Sillage: 7.0 (5 feet with 3 sprays; mild projection for 2 hours) - Versatility: 8.5 (quite versatile for an "old school" scent; you may use it in many situations but it is not suited for clubbing, gym, and seaside) - Portability: 8.5 (better than most masculine "old schools" due to its clean aldehydes opening; it is of little use in hot weather) - Praise: 8.5 (an elegant and mature scent; an above-average pleaser due to its seductive leather note; however, it will never grab any love and attention from very young people) - Exclusivity: 8.5 (similar to the five years younger Aramis Havane but without its tobacco note) - Quality: 8.0 (not a shining star but not bad also) - Presentation: 9.0 (I really like the Babel tower shape) - Price: 9.5 (€20,00 for 125ml taxes and shipping included) __ __ __ __ __ - Average: 8.41/10.00 MY OPINION on "Montana Parfum d'Homme" : It is a very classy scent. The lovers of "old-school" scents will like it for sure. Its leather key bottom note is certainly a distinct differentiator. I also own Montana Black. It is a more modern and darker flanker of this perfume. Although very nice it lacks the class and the allure of Parfum d'Homme. Recommended? If you are a man and like "old schools", you should give it a try. Blind buying worthy? Yes, if you are over 40 years old. Younger people should sample it first. MUSIC: Tony Bennett and Diana Krall singing "They Can’t Take That Away From Me"

Don't you think that Alice Cooper looks like Marilyn Manson a lot? You know, the "freakish dude with a female name persona, who performs some outrageous theatrical shows" thing. What? Alice Cooper came first? So? Montana also came first (a good five years before, which is ages in perfume years) but that doesn't stop people from keep saying how much it resembles Havana. I think that merely out of respect, whenever a benchmark has to be set, then this place should be always granted to the one that came first. So no, if a perfume reminds of another one, then it's Havana that reminds of Montana and not the other way around. Now, I don't know why, but when I first smelled Montana back in the day, the first word that came to mind was "bright". In the sense of a young, aspiring individual, to whom everyone wants to be close, but in the same time all (myself included) secretly despise him. Perhaps because in this age, he is already something that they will never be. Clever but not know-it-all, charming but not wheedling, cultivated but not aloof, rich but not showoffish and eloquent but not verbose, all-in-one. Oh, and stunningly beautiful too, as the icing on this delicious cake. All in an unconventional way, light years away from everything mainstream. Like a long-haired dude wearing mirror shades and a claret velvet sport jacket, who drives a Lancia, and doesn't give a damn about what others might think of him. And when he smiles he outshines the sun. Then our ways parted for some 20 years, in my neverending struggle to find this totally unique scent that is the Holy Grail for every perfume lover or freak. Until, not being able to resist its 15€/125ml price, there came a day when I found myself looking skeptically at the red box that was staring back at me from my coffee table. "What are you?" I asked... "Don't you remember?" it replied... The answer came in a split second after spraying some on my wrist. "Bright! How could I forget?" And then I sat and pondered for a whole afternoon, trying to figure why people so often spend years in a quest for something that was before their very eyes from the start. As for those who are probably wondering, the aforementioned "stunningly beautiful" part is not just about the perfume. I know I'm a minority (if not the sole believer), but I find its bottle simply gorgeous! Like an iconic piece of contemporary art, which is a joy to hold and a blast to behold! The proof that The Tower of Babel could be completed in perfection, no matter how many languages were spoken on its grounds. They couldn't be more than Montana's notes after all! A most fitting vessel for one of the most unique perfumes ever...

Took a chance on this scent as I found it a safe and cheap blind buy. I took this chance after reading some great reviews on here and checking out the notes. After receiving it two days ago and giving it a wear, all I can say is simply; Montana is a steal and really a scent not to sleep on! The opening of Montana is a nice burst of aldehydes, mandarin orange, cinnamon, lavender and leather and it is STRONG, almost bracing. The overture is further punched up with some tarragon and pine needles. Montana begins swirling notes and passing from spicy, to green, to slightly floral, it's an intriguing mix and keeps the wearer pleased and engaged. This scent then brings on this wave of cool carnation, pepper and incense. At this point Montana announces itself as no one trick pony! The bergamot and lemon then kick in to give this scent some freshness and some added brightness. The range of this scent cannot be applauded enough. Lastly, we are met with a smooth floral/earthy and sandalwood finish that compliments the bombastic opening. I think there is a time when we as collectors and appreciators of these great fragrances lose a bit of our zeal or our passion for fragrances (at least I do from time to time) and by just taking a page from the past we can find a bit of inspiration. Montana did this for me, I was stuck in a bit of a fougere rut (It isn't a bad thing) I was stuck with similar clean barbershop finishes and it got a bit old. Montana jarred my olfactory senses lose and really made me rearrange my scent wardrobe. Montana can be worn by guys in their mid twenties and up. Montana can be worn in the office or for a day on the town. Think sweater weather with this scent, a thick fabric will hold the scent even longer as well as warm it on the skin! Price alone should encourage you to take a chance on this one, but the quality and creativity that awaits you on the other end of that sprayer is the real surprise and reason! Give this scent a spray when you just listened to three great tracks from your twenties over a nice strong cup of coffee and you're headed off on a weekend stroll or mini adventure.

Montana Red Box Did anyone know that the perfumer of this fragrance is the same who created Davidoff Original in 1984? Edouard Flechier! Two very good masculine fragrances to say the least! I agree that this is more of an aromatic fougere than a leather scent. Like Francesco Smalto pour homme there is a lot going on in this frag. It starts with a lemon-lavender that smells so good as it is surrounded by aldehydes, cinnamon, lavender, mandarin orange, tarragon, pepper and bergamot. Delicious opening! One of the best smelling openings for me. After that the flowers kick in with pine tree needles and sage which give it a green-spicy touch that defines the heart stage of this fragrance. The masculine basenotes eg. with leather, patchouli, ambergris and oakmoss end up this frag into a real 80's ubermasculine frag! I would not say a powerhouse, though it qualifies for it first hour, but after that the blend that is left is too smooth to define this frag as a powerhouse. Real good noses can get a lot out of this fragrance I guess as there is so much going on. Not many frags are lemony, green, floral, spicy, smokey, soapy, leathery, herbal and mossy in one! Montana has it all! This fragrance is very versatile as it mellows down after one hour and the smell lingering around you is hard to dislike! Perfect for outdoors during fall and winter and even early spring evenings! For work, don't apply too much and let it dry down for at least 30 mins before entering the office, but actually better use another fragrance for work tbh. Not that suitable for summer and formal occasions. To me one of those perfect outdoor fall-winterfragrances like Quorum, Francesco Smalto pour homme and Lapidus pour homme. Longevity is average, like 6-8 hrs on me and sillage is above average first hour and average after that. It gets close to the skin after 4 hours depending on amount of application. Another nice creation by Flechier of pure original masculanity like he did for Davidoff's first in 1984! Rated: 8.5/10

What can I say....another revelation. Perfectly covered by EricRico's review, so nothing else really to add notewise I bought this, as yet another blind buy, purely on the basis that so much global love seems to exist for this inexpensive scent, which in turn appears to be based upon it's extreme similarity to the far more expensive & scarce Aramis Havana. I picked up an original bottle of Havana a few weeks ago and found it to be such an immense fragrance that it instantly became a firm favourite....destined to become a signature if I'm not careful.....so naturally I was intrigued to discover for myself if Montana really could offer so much at such a ridculously low price. Well, I'm stunned at how similar the two are. I'm not an expert at all, but I would say Havana has an extra molases type of quality to it that I can't find in Montana. Additionaly, I seem to get better longevity form Havana, BUT.....with those two personal exceptions, the similarities are uncanny. Suffice to say Montana is everything people say it is - it has a real strident energy & smooth spice quality about it and steals an huge lead on the majority of todays offerings. It has enourmous structure & depth, but it's not overpowering or vulgar.......I amazed at just how good this really is......a complete revelation. UPDATE: Having had a chance to compare this now, on three occasions, to Havana (Original), Montana is definitely missing the sweet pipe tobacco element I find in Havana. Montana is also a lot more soapy ......still very similar, very wonderful, but not a true subsitute for my beloved Vintage Havana.