Blocki Sanrovia Perfume Review (Kevin Verspoor) 2018 + January 23, 1911 Draw

1911 Chicago International Aviation Meet via Flickr

Dateline – January 23, 1911. The year 1911 saw Chicago, "That Toddlin' Town", burgeoning with commerce and bursting with optimism.  Amazing advances in aviation were part of the daily news. In the Windy City, there was the 1911 Chicago International Aviation Meet where Lincoln Beachey set a world altitude record of 11,642 feet. Across the globe, 1911 was a year of "firsts" – the first Indianapolis 500, the first performance of Puccini's Madame Butterfly. Roald Amundsen was the first man to reach the South Pole. In New York City the horrors of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire reawakened the American social conscience from the hypnotic excesses of the "Gilded Age". 

The official 1911 Chicago International Aviation Meet program

While abuses were still rampant, a new, socially progressive era was dawning. Small business owners were encouraging employee education and making efforts to provide safe environments for their workers.  One such company, John Blocki & Son, the first retail perfume shop in Chicago, introduced, on January 23, 1911, a new perfume that would prove to be one of the firm's most popular fragrances. Blocki Sanrovia perfume, was named for the village of Roviano, a favorite destination of the perfumer John Blocki on his many visits to Italy.

Blocki on the cover of P&F, formerly the American Perfumer magazine. Courtesy of BLOCKI.

John Blocki (1845-1934) was born near Königsberg, Prussia and immigrated with his family to the United States, settling in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1850. At the age of fourteen he began training as a chemist. In 1862 he relocated to Chicago, joining the drug company of Fuller, French and Fuller. Three years later, when John was only twenty, he opened his own wholesale drug firm, Blocki, Dietzsche & Co., specializing in perfumes and imported essential oils.  Subsequently John Blocki established the perfumery, Blocki & Son, moving the enterprise, in 1903, to a magnificent retail space at 189 Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

 Wedding Photo of Tammy and Tyler Kraemer

Fast forward – January 23, 2018. The rebirth of the 1911, Blocki Sanrovia perfume will take place on January 23, 2018, exactly 107 years after the introduction of the original. In 2013, John Blocki's great-great grandson, Tyler DeLaBar Kraemer and his wife Tammy took on the daunting task of reviving the family business. This was not merely a matter of stenciling a "ghost" brand or revisiting a forgotten trademark for quick profits.

Kevin Verspoor

The considerable reputation of Blocki, one of America's oldest perfumeries was at stake. Tyler and Tammy Kraemer worked carefully with perfumer Kevin Verspoor, spending the extra time and money needed to build accords that embraced a vintage aesthetic of complexity while at once appealing to modern tastes. Their first three fragrances, For Walks, In Every Season and This Grand Affair, were offered for sale in 2015 and were immediate successes. Passionate about vintage perfumes, Kevin was in his element, breathing new life into the Blocki heritage. His enthusiasm led him, while working on the first three perfumes, to complete a fourth, which would be named  Blocki Sanrovia perfume. When Tyler smelled #4 he knew it would be a great addition to the line. 

Emma Ciardi La Scala dei Cipressi©

Blocki Sanrovia Perfume  opens with a zest of California lemon and bergamot, projecting the sweet freshness of iced Italian Limoncello and the honeyed nectar of Valencia orange. The first breath is bracing in its freshness, a cool breeze through a grove of citrus, reminiscent of vintage Italianate colognes. 

Emma Ciardi (1879-1933) Italian Impressionist Painter

Within minutes traces of geranium and lavender add an herbal twist to the tart lemon and honeyed orange, soothing my skin with impressions of sun drenched gardens of aromatic herbs. As the perfume marries my personal chemistry, the sweet, seductive nature of jasmine embraces the citrus and herbal scents, creating a heartbreakingly beautiful warmth. There is something so familiar about this phase of the perfume – an image not fully in focus, vignettes of long ago afternoons on sunlit hillsides or in lush meadows by the sea. At about 40 minutes the fruit filled, honeyed scent of an old garden Damask rose briefly becomes part of the olfactory landscape, wafting a freshly cut quality via hints of residual lemon.

Emma Ciardi

It is at this point that I begin to sense one of my favorite fragrance ingredients, Santalum spicatum, AKA Australian Sandalwood. Some may prefer the buttery roundness of Mysore sandalwood, but I love the slightly sharp, mineral qualities and woody floral facets of the former. In Sanrovia, the Australian sandalwood is woven seamlessly into the texture of the fragrance, supporting and emphasizing the best features of flowers and fruits.The heart of the perfume remains in place for five hours and more before the sun begins to set on the groves and gardens of Sanrovia. A touch of dark labdanum and shadows of vetiver color the sandalwood as the perfume slowly dries down, lingering on my skin for several more hours, vanishing at last into a mist of fragrant memories.

 

Via BLOCKI Pinterest John Blocki, Flower in a Bottle, US Patent, Jan. 1, 1907

John Blocki, chemist, businessman and perfumer, was a pioneer in the American fragrance and beauty industry. He was a social innovator, advocating for women's independence, selling his perfumes through woman-owned beauty shops and hiring women to bottle and label his products. The perfumer was also a conservationist and an inventor. His unique packaging, featuring preserved flowers in bottles of perfume, earned him a US patent.

Vintage John Blocki & Son perfume bottles and tall display bottle via BLOCKI Pinterest

The spirit of John Blocki, and the flower essences he loved, lives on in the 2018  Blocki Sanrovia and in every new bottle of Blocki perfume. 

Notes: Lemon (from Italy & California), bergamot, Valencia orange,geranium, lavender, jasmine, Jacque Cartier (variety of Damask) rose,Australian sandalwood, labdanum and Haitian vetiver.

Disclaimer:  Many thanks to Blocki for the generous travel size of Blocki Sanrovia perfume.  My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Art Director – Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief: I chose the art of Emma Ciardi (1879-1933) Italian Impressionist Painter to bring to life Gail’s beautiful review and to pay homage to John Blocki’s  trip to Italy and to his advocacy for women.

Blocki Sanrovia Perfume

Thanks to the generosity of Blocki, we have a draw for two 10ml travel size bottles of the new  Blocki Sanrovia perfume, available to two registered reader in the US   so be sure to register or your comment will not count. To be eligible, tell us where you live and what appeals to you about Blocki Sanrovia perfume based on Gail's review.  Also let us know if you have tried any Blocki perfumes or a year that is significant in your life. Draw closes January 27, 2018

Note: BLOCKI Sanrovia will launch on January 23, 2018 at www.blocki.com and at selectU.S. stockists.  Read Elizabeth Rose' fascinating interview with Tammy Kraemer at aveparfum.com.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our RSS blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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21 comments

  • No need to enter me, I just wanted to jump in and say how exciting it is to have a new Blocki to lust after, and also add a huge thank you to Tyler and Tammy for that 10 ml size.

    I wish more companies would include a travel size and doing so embodies the attention to detail and customer service that I have come to see as a hallmark of Blocki Parfums.

  • This is such a fascinating story! I love that a descendant is bringing back this family business. Everything about this perfume sounds divine. I live in the US.

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    What a beautiful travel bottle! I’m excited that there is a new Blocki – they are all so well-done. I like knowing that Jacques Cartier is the variety of damask rose. Each variety can have such a different scent profile with all the varied nuances, and I like that they name it in the list of notes. I love This Grand Affair in particular of the Blocki perfumes. The citrus and jasmine of this sound beautiful paired with the rose. I know from smelling the others that it will be expertly done! I’m in the USA. Thanks!

  • Malka Gittel bas Reuven says:

    I live in the US and am always happy to see great American perfumes launch. This one excites me because… citrus? Geranium? Sandalwood? Rock rose? That’s the sort of combination that translates to a vacation right on my arm. I could BE there.

    I had no clue that Blocki had been a supporter of women’s businesses. That is so amazing. Thanks for the draw here!

  • Those top notes sound fabulous, especially the Orange and Lemon. I’ve been dreaming of a vacation to Southern California all winter, and will finally be headed down in a few weeks. A 10ml travel bottle of Sanrovia will fit nicely into my carry-on!
    I haven’t tried any Blocki perfumes, but hope to soon. A significant year in my life was 2010, because, well, I’m not going to tell you…:)
    I live in the US.

  • Thank you for the excellent review; I enjoyed the history of Blocki & Sons Parfums and the description of Sanrovia. I adorevi tage Perfumes and am excited to sample this recreation. Citrus, lavender and sandalwood with the evolution you describe sounds beautiful. I adore Blocki For Walks, and I actually love wearing it while walking my dogs. It complements my meditative walk in nature. Thank you for the draw and Blocki for travel bottles.

  • How wonderful to learn about John Blocki and even more wonderful to learn that the perfume house he opened in Chicago is back and producing new fragrances. I would love to try a perfume that reflects the love of Italy. (I also need to try For Walks, just for the name alone).
    A year that is significant for me is 1993, when I moved to Chicago to study for my master’s degree.
    I live in the USA.

  • codylwoodward says:

    Arkansas, USA : the notes sound stunning… a perfect warm weather fragrance. A significant year for me was 2015 because I married my wife.

  • Seattle, US. interested in the mix of vetiver and sandalwood, as well as the lemon and bergamot. I have never tried a Blocki perfume, and grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so I have enjoyed the architecture from the World’s Fair every time I visited a museum as a child, but have never heard of Blocki & Sons growing up. So many years that are significant – the summer I traveled to France on an exchange program, the year I moved to Glasgow, the year I moved back to the US, the year I had my son….I can’t pick just one!.
    Thank you for all your draws!! I’m in between jobs and can’t afford a “new” perfume habit (just using my already purchased ones) so dreaming about trying a new scent is grand, and I learn so much from your site.

  • I love that these perfumes have an American, historical context and the notes listed are some of my favorites. How exciting to wear a piece of history! I’m in the US, thank you!

  • Citrus, aromatics, flowers, and woods, what a marvelous path for the nost to follow. Sanrovia sounds perfectly lovely, like a walk in an Italian garden, then out through the gate, and off into the countryside. I enjoyed seeing the vintage Blocki bottles, especially with flowers inside, how beautiful and poetic.

    I have worn This Grand Affair, and can say without reservation that everything I have experienced from Blocki, from the thoughtful packaging to the pretty bottles to the marvelous scent, is exceptional. I am in the US. Thank you for the insightful review and generous draw.

  • I’ve never tried any of the Blocki perfumes. This one sounds really awesome with a very interesting, yet classical, blending of notes. I would so like to try this as the review has peaked my interest. Thanks for the draw. I’m in the USA

  • Jennifer Jamerson says:

    Wow. What a history….detailed too. Never heard of them but sounds really lovely. U.S. Houston, TX

  • QuietlyWaiting says:

    I haven’t had a chance to try any of the Blocki perfumes, but they sound wonderful. I love hearing the stories and history behind the perfume houses and the fragrances. Sanrovia sounds particularly lovely, fresh, and happy. I love the idea of honeyed orange, and roses always make me feel good… so it sounds like a clear winner for me! 2017 was significant for me, because it’s the year I became interested in perfumes 😉 – does that count? I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • What a cool history lesson! That is awesome that his great grandson and wife are reviving the business. I loved that John had employed many women, ahead of his time. This jumped out at me when I read the word Limoncello, sounds good to me at this dreary time of year. I would love to try this!! Most of my 56 and counting years have been very nice indeed. A few lows here and there, but no one year really stands out above the rest. I haven’t retired yet…..maybe that will be the top year!! Thanks of the chance!!

  • This sounds pretty – very fresh and earthy. I’ve never tried anything from this perfume house.
    A year that was very significant for me was in 2004. That was the beginning of significant changes to my life. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in Oct 2004. 10 1/2 months later, I’d be diagnosed with an entirely separate cancer (colon cancer in early Sept. 2005) The years since have been incredibly challenging and life changing.
    I live in the US.

  • I am here from Ave Parfums . I receive their newsletters . I have sampled a few from Blocki from Twisted Lily and I have to say that I did enjoy them. So I would very much like to enter. I live in Ohio USA.

  • I enjoyed reading about the progression of notes in this fragrance. It sounds beautiful. I live in the US and have not yet had the pleasure of wearing a Blocki perfume.