Most perfume houses would be content with producing one good collection of six perfumes a year. Clearly Xerjoff does not subscribe to that kind of thinking as hard on the heels of the excellent Oud Stars Collection we have another six fragrance collection called Sospiro. This collection was released late in 2011 exclusively in the Middle East; only now is it getting a wider distribution. They all come in beautiful deep purple flacons and they all share a similar intensity with the juice contained within.

Accento is like the accent on an end of a word it is meant to emphasize each note in this fragrance. The tart fruitiness of pineapple collides with the unique floral quality of hyacinth. Pink pepper adds a spicy bit of bite before iris and jasmine create contrasting flowers in the heart. The base turns very woody with vetiver in the foreground accented with patchouli and amber. This is for those who love the all of the notes I’ve described because Accento delivers them, in spades.

Allegro is more of an ensemble piece than Accento, it opens with grapefruit and a much lighter application of pink pepper than in Accento. The pink pepper serves to enhance the tart almost sulfurous qualities of the grapefruit. This pungent beginning gives way to a soft duet of lavender and rose and this is where the always high quality of the ingredients Xerjoff uses is evident. This is like fragrant crushed velvet. Eventually the curtain parts and sandalwood, cashmeran and a tiny bit of oud finish Allegro off in a woody fantasia.

Capriccio is a free-form musical tempo often improvisational in nature. Capriccio the Sospiro seems like an interesting bit of fast moving improvisation as well. Neroli and lime make up the top notes and these are sparkly bright versions of both of these notes. Capriccio moves through these top notes and right to a heart of spicy hot cinnamon surrounded by a fruity floral coating. This shouldn’t work this well, this should be a hot mess and somehow it isn’t. The base finally returns to a similar base as I found in Allegro; sandalwood, cashmeran, a bit of oud and a bit of musk. The drydown of both of these end in very similar places.

Duetto is a mix of two olfactory pitches at each stage from top notes to base notes. The first is a very intense pink pepper full of high notes mixed with a mid-range ylang-ylang. The heart pairs two floral tenors in rose absolute and Sambac jasmine. These are familiar perfumed partners and the quality of the sources is what elevates this above other perfumes which use these notes. Oud is the bass in the base and sandalwood adds a smooth woody contrast. Each phase of Duetto is distinct and very nicely balanced; it left me wanting a couple more movements.

Laylati is my favorite of the Sospiro Collection partially because it is the least complicated of the collection and that allows each note to shine. The top notes are a mix of green herbal notes; this reminds me of working in my herb garden on a summer day. There also feels like there is a hint of dirt lying under the herbs. The heart note is a sharply delineated cedar coupled with herbal patchouli. It ends up in a foundation of sweet vanilla and leafy narcotic tobacco all wrapped in animalic musk. I found Laylati to be consistently interesting every time I wore it, sometimes simple does it.

Vivace means full of life and this fragrance bursts with life. Lemon, clary sage, and basil provide a lovely herbal citrus beginning.  The clove-like quality of carnation leads to a heart where geranium and patchouli continue the greener herbal theme. The base turns very animalic as castoreum and musk layer themselves over a foundation of labdanum, amber, and oak moss. Vivace, at the end, reminds you life is all about intensity.

All six of the Sospiro Collection fragrances have outstanding overnight longevity and above average sillage, a little goes a very long way.

The Sospiro Collection is less varied than the Oud Stars and so this could be a collection where if you are not a fan of chypres or woody fragrances you might be unimpressed. If you are a fan you might have trouble just finding only one you like.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by MiN New York.

Thanks to the generosity of MiN New York we have a sample set of all six Sospiro fragrances to giveaway. This giveaway is only for our US readers. If you are a US reader and want to be entered in the draw leave a comment identifying yourself as a US reader and also which Sospiro fragrance you think you would like best. Draw closes May 28, 2012 (via random.org).

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor’s note: For those of you in the New York City area,  Sergio Momo the man behind Xerjoff will be making a personal appearance at MiN New York. On Saturday May 26, 2012 from 3PM-6PM there will be a presentation of the Sospiro Collection and it will also feature a summer cocktail inspired by Xerjoff's 1861 fragrance. MiN New York is on 117 Crosby St. in New York City.