Don’t let the name fool you, this is not heavy, dark, deep…to start. There’s wood and spices, but they sit delicately on top of the skin, at first. It’s not till it begins to dry down that clean, smooth sandalwood comes through in spades. Slight nuances of agarwood (oud) linger with roots of the vetiver bushgrass and subtle white-smoky incense. What gives it its edge? There’s a honeyed orange blossom framing in some white floralcy with a hint cardamom lurking below the fall. Yep, there it is.
Notes include sandalwood, agarwood, vetiver, cardamom, incense.
Montale is the creation of Pierre Montale, who worked as an official perfumer for the Saudi royal family before returning to Paris to introduce Western perfume lovers to the rich world of Middle Eastern perfumery ingredients.