Salute

Just yesterday, I came across a curious news story on my Google suggestions homepage: a Portuguese town was flooded by 3 million bottles' worth of red wine after a tank at a local winery burst. With blood-red liquid flowing through the streets, the pictures looked apocalyptic, and readers were presented with the most bizarre news story since Trump left office. This is what came to mind upon my (unintentionally impeccably timed) testing of this scent. Salute! is a strange, surprising scent that is unlike any I have previously tried - it smells just like the dregs of a bottle of red wine. The listed wine lees note, one I've never come across in perfumery before, makes a lot of sense. There are fruity nuances and a chypre base, but ultimately, it is bang on theme, and not very wearable as a result. Still, I enjoy a glass of red, and deeply appreciate the artistry here. Salute! resembles red wine from initial spray, boozy and fruity with a dense, dark undertone. The citrus notes up top "round out the bouquet" (I am no sommelier despite my perfume habits), but they don't do much to take from the wine quality at the heart of this scent. Rooty, powdery iris comes to the fore as it develops, a surprisingly good accompaniment to the heavy red wine. The grape leaves enhance the wine accord, bringing the vineyard effect alongside the oak note. It certainly becomes increasingly green as it progresses. The drydown is an ink-dark chypre, woody and mossy, complementing the red wine to perfection. It fades to a musky, earthy skin scent, wine-like until final fade. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. Given the vineyard theme, it feels like a scent for warm seasons despite its chypre darkness. In my opinion, it is a unisex, transeasonal day scent. Red wine via the vineyard, Salute is an olfactory artwork that, while difficult to wear, is immensely likeable and very well-crafted. Perfectly evocative of its theme, I would have called this one Bacchus. I actually kind of love it. 4.5/5.

Whoa, that's one of a kind - never felt anything like that before. It does smell of wine lees and grape leaves, like, it actually does. There's also a lot of iris powder here. In the opening it even has a prosecco, or, be aware of this, in the opening you might smell like a person who had too much of prosecco. That fades away very quickly though and in my opinion, adds a natural, and an interesting aspect to the composition. The backbone is woody but not in a woody log way, more of a broken main stem? centre? (sorry, not a native speaker) of a bush and an oak stump. Like a wood of vines, not cedar. The base is surprisingly dry, powdery, Woody, maybe earthy a bit. A really interesting, unisex, and while light composition - I don't think it's good for heat. I think the grapey, leafy, woody character suits the autumn best, especially with the iris powder. Unisex, 7+h, strong, very strong for 3h, then moderate projection with a long trail. If you don't go heavy you might even wear this to the office. Don't blind buy, it's not a grape fanta. It's a grape Vines, wood, and leaves. I have to admit the packaging is cheap and to be improved - the cap seems heavy and metal on photo, but in reality is a light plastic covered in thin metal that slides into place. The bottle is well, OK? It's a cylinder with some blue lines tower print but the sticker fits loosely on my bottler out of the box - it's probably gonna come off.

An uplifting perfume. Luminous, joyous, easygoing. A chocolate-like opening brings instant smile. A wine-like quality weaves throughout the entire journey, convivial but never drunk. The composition may be complex but the final effect is one of simplicity and transparency. It continues the evolution of the brand since Le Cri de la Lumière towards a style of luminosity and cheerfulness. Parfum d’Empire has found its own style, and stopped following the footsteps of Serge Lutens (Ambre Russe/Ambre Sultan, Aziyade/Arabie, Cuir Ottoman/Cuir Mauresque, Musc Tonkin/Musc Kublaï Khan, Wazamba/Fille en Aiguille...).

Oh I love this opening. I love and appreciate a good glass of red wine, but alas my tolerance is one glass max. This perfume satisfies that love to a degree. I stop being able to smell this one after less than an hour. That is so sad because it just leaves me wanting more, just like red wine....cry face. I just keep spritzing I guess. I only have a sample. I'd buy a bottle if the dry red wine notes carried longer. Maybe it's just my nose?

a dark, smooth opening. kinda resembles chocolate but you need a bit of imaginations to find that chocolatey taste. and after that, it's simply a bottle of fizzy moscato. sweet, boozy, sparkling. it settles to a powdery grape smell after 3~4 hours.