At
the start of this year I wrote
about a
new range of perfumes that had been inspired by wine from Kelly
& Jones
in New York City. Their Scent Sommelier Kelly created the Notes
of Wine Collection after
experiencing the fragrance of her vanilla perfume mingling with
Chardonnay at a wine tasting in Napa. Kelly got in touch with me and
kindly sent me a sample of her Notes
of Chardonnay
to try for myself.
I must say that I found the perfume rather intriguing. It has several different layers of aromas that play out as it is warmed by your skin and it lingers and lingers, sending subtle wafts that catch your senses for a good few hours.
Wine
and perfume have more in common that you both might think . . . both
are intertwined. Both use a process of transformation – from grape
to wine and from flower petal to essence, both undergo olfactory
research, both rely on the expert and their nose . . . We sniff the
wine before we drink it, so that we can get a better understanding of
a wine's complex flavours and we sniff the perfume before we wear it
to capture its essence before it touches our skin.
At
first the smell of Notes
of Chardonnay
is heady and sweet with a burst of blossom, then it changes to a warm
ripe and rich fruity scent which others have described as honey dew
melon but to me smelt more like baked quince or fresh figs warmed by
the sun. Then it developed into a mellow woody, almost musky,
enveloping aroma with very subtle notes of vanilla and beeswax.
Perfume evokes memories that are unique to each one of us and Notes
of Chardonnay
made me think of sunshine beaming down on an old oak table, shined
with polish and topped with a bowl of gently fading roses. It was
sensuous and deep – sort of timeless.
The
story
behind the creation of the perfume reminded me to try drinking a wine
made from Chardonnay whilst wearing the perfume. Not any Chardonnay
will do – I'd suggest a good oak aged one with structure rather
than the lighter varieties. I actually found it very pleasant with a
Bordeaux White:
Chateau
Laures
which is a blend of 60%
Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Muscadelle
which is a deep white wine full of fruit and honey in the mouth.
Kelly
& Jones produce 5 wine inspired perfumes and if you are as
intrigued as I was then I suggest you try them out!
A crisp,
refreshing unisex blend of yuzu grapefruit, starfruit, green apple
and a hint of camellia.
Aromas of
fresh-picked white peach, anjou pear, bergamot and raspberry leaf.
This swoon-worthy
blend has spicy notes of pink peppercorn, ripe black cherry, and
tobacco flower on a gorgeous base of vintage leather.
A smooth, balanced
essence and beautiful blend of red currant, mission fig, rhubarb and
lovely candied violet
A rich, vibrant
and seductive blend of sweet honeydew melon, vanilla blossom and
luscious crème brulee all rounded out on a base of toasted oak.
2 comments:
Very interesting idea. I would have a hard time deciding which one I wanted to try without a sniff. That being said, I honestly think the money could be spent on a beautiful bottle of wine instead. ;)
Thanks Susan - I'm torn between the two!
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