Best New Releases of 2014

Source: 1ms.net

Source: 1ms.net

This has been a good year for perfume releases. For all that I sometimes grumble about the generic nature of fragrances put out these days, 2014 actually had a number of scents that really impressed me. Last year, I could not find a full 10 new releases for my list, and refused to simply include things for the sake of round numbers. This year, I have 15 scents that I actually think are good representations of their genre and were done very well, along with a few Honourable Mentions.

Violettes du Czar. Photo: Roberto Greco for Oriza L. Legrand.

Violettes du Czar. Photo: Roberto Greco for Oriza L. Legrand.

As I always emphasize, perfume reviewing is subjective and personal by its very nature, so winnowing fragrances down to some favorites is even more so. My criteria for selection varied. A number of the fragrances were not really for me, personally, for various reasons (a particular note or genre that I struggle with, discreet sillage, or something else), but were chosen nevertheless because something about the particular scent was either interesting, luxurious, evocative, complex and/or, as noted above, an extremely good example of its genre that also happened to be done in a very elegant manner. A handful of perfumes are on the list for the most subjective reason of all: I either bought full bottles for myself, plan to get them, or would love to do so if their price were not a consideration.

Ranking things is an utter nightmare, but the Top Five are firmly placed in accordance with my feelings. The remainder of the scents are ranked within one to three slots, plus or minus, of where they are in my estimation at the present time, though keep in mind that perfumistas are a fickle bunch who can change their mind from one month to the next, and I’m no exception. All of these fragrances were released in 2014. The problem is that some of the names that I would love to have on this list (like SHL 777‘s O Hira and Black Gemstone) technically debuted in very limited fashion in 2013, before being released globally this year. As a result, what I’ve decided to do is to write a separate list of my 30 personal favorites of 2014, things that I’ve covered this year but without regard to their official launch date. I’ll update this post with a link when I do. There is some overlap between the two lists, but not a lot.

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Surrender to Chance Cold Water Canyon & Surrender

Source:  wayoutwax.wordpress.com

Source: wayoutwax.wordpress.com

Cold Water Canyon and Surrender are two different takes on jasmine, both by the same master of all-natural perfumery, both surprisingly sweet, fresh, and green. The two fragrances are part of the debut collection from Surrender to Chance, the American decanting service, and were created by AbdesSalaam Attar (or Dominique Dubrana) of La Via del Profumo.

He is a man who I think has a particularly masterful touch when it comes to jasmine, and the new Surrender to Chance fragrances are no exception. They both highlight a very tender side to the flower, a side that I did not expect from the perfumes’ descriptions or one that I encounter very often. At the same time, however, the tender, sweet fragility and the fresh greenness were also (and quite cleverly) given an original twist through the inclusion of unexpected notes, be it licorice with a wisp of darkness, or the aromatic sweetness of sage, pine, myrrh, and mountain plants. The end result is different, charming, and appealing, though not without its flaws.

COLD WATER CANYON:

Cold Water Canyon bottle. Source: STC and La Via del Profumo.

Cold Water Canyon bottle. Source: STC and La Via del Profumo.

Cold Water Canyon is intended to replicate the aroma of a mountain canyon in summer. Surrender to Chance’s press release describes the scent and its notes as follows:

Coldwater Canyon was suggested to us by a friend and long-time customer who asked for a fragrance inspired by the scent of a summer canyon full of sage, pine and mountain plants with sweetly scented night-blooming jasmine perfuming the night air. Coldwater Canyon is a perfect balance between a green perfume and a floral.

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Surrender to Chance Starts Its Own Luxury Perfume Line

The American decanting fragrance site, Surrender to Chance, is launching its own fragrance line. The company has teamed up with renowned, all-natural perfumer, AbdesSalaam Attar (or Dominique Dubrana) of La Via del Profumo, to create two fragrances called Surrender and Cold Water Canyon.

I rarely post press releases or talk about upcoming fragrance launches on this site, but I make occasional exceptions when something really interests me. This is one of those times. AbdesSalaam Attar is a truly fascinating man, in my opinion, and you can read more about the reasons why he’s so acclaimed in a piece I did on his Mecca Balsam, but I think he has a particularly gifted touch when it comes to jasmine. (His Tawaf is one of the best jasmine scents around, in my opinion.) Both of the new Surrender to Chance fragrances incorporate that ingredient to some extent. Plus, one of them also has hyraceum, a very cool, under-used note that provides a strongly animalic, skanky character. Continue reading