Italian fragrance house Xerjoff has released its seventh collection, ten new fragrances, entitled “Join the Club” (JTC). This house is one I have always looked upon as the essence of niche luxurious perfumery-due to its long lasting and well-crafted juices, unbelievable longevity and pure opulence of its flacons and packaging. This collection, a word that usually makes me shudder, lives up to the Xerjoff name. Even the ones I did not necessarily love were beautifully orchestrated and made from high quality raw materials. The cobalt blue flacons topped with regal golden caps all look the same, but each one holds the scent of a different “club” of sorts; places where particular people congregate…

The first club we check out is More Than Words, a fragrant hangout of writers and poets. Upon entering we are greeted with a bevy of floral notes, rose leading the pack. The atmosphere is dark and subtly lit. Writers, lost in thought, muse and scribble to the aroma of lingering smoke, burning candles and smoldering incense. Poets recite their honeyed words on ornate furniture. This club has a truly Bohemian feel, one that becomes as dark and mysterious as it first appears compelling and pretty. An intriguing place, but it’s not really my scene. Sillage: good. Longevity: very good.

Back on the street, my attention is drawn to an impeccably dressed woman who disappears into club Fatale Charm. Following her inside, I am surrounded with old world elegance, reserved and poised. A bright and festive gathering is going on here: people made up to look their best, each one powdered and properly attired. A rich sweet spiciness blends with subtle floral notes and fine tobaccos. Ladies with silk scarves and fine gloves mingle with dapper men in stylish tuxedoes and fine leather shoes. Everyone is coiffed coutured and cultured, and I feel a little underdressed and a bit awkward. Sillage: good. Longevity: above average.

On Niche Street again, I am drawn by sandalwood incense in the evening air. Shunkoin is less a traditional club and more like a safe and sacred space. Here, you can relax where incense smokes carry one’s thoughts and prayers to the heavens. A place that exudes the soft freshness of cherry blossom with the stimulating scent of steeping black tea makes you feel completely at peace.  An idyllic moment, yet the longer I am here the sweeter and heavier the incense becomes. I begin to feel heavy myself, and need some fresh air or something more exciting. Sillage: very good. Longevity: excellent.

The up-tempo swinging sounds of lively jazz ensemble greet my ears. I follow the sound to a rather non-descript simple canopied door. Kind of Blue hangs askew above it. Lively groups of people are dancing and shimmying to the sounds of swinging jazz. The air is expansive and almost electric with life. Bright notes rise melodiously above a deeper bass rhythm .The smell of warm brandy paired with spicy smooth cigars and a subtle but unmistakable gentle floral beauty surrounds you. The music eventually calms and gets softer, as the melody becomes more melancholy and sentimental. I am in a more upbeat mood; so I make for the door. Sillage: above average, Longevity: good.      

A small crowd has formed outside the Marquee club. An aura of excitement and delicious sweetness pervades. The scent of roses, presented to the actors, blends with a powder-kissed violet. A superb sweet jasmine shines in the lead role, during the performance, bathed in a golden amber spotlight and finishing hand-in-hand, with the rest of the cast, to the glow of applause and warm adulation from the audience. Simply alive with the backstage buzz that animates the show and captures the audience until the final curtain, this scene takes some pretty common components and combines and directs them to capture the truest magic of the theater. This club is very cool! Sillage: average. Longevity: quite good.

The night is fleeting and feeling the need for some indulgence, I cross the street to enter the Comandante! club. Fine imported cigars and brandy are sold at a hardwood cedar bar. Hints of smooth spiciness mingle with subtle floral aromas and rich fruity tones. The scent of tobacco is everywhere. Leather wingback chairs and the very wood of the walls are impregnated with the smoky richness of the air. Dulcet tones of vanilla weave in and out of a dark and woody elegance merging with the sweetness of honey and warm candles glowing. The air is intense here, but so rich and luxurious. Each puff a moment of voluptuous and sensual pleasure that, while not good for you, feels amazing. Sillage: very good. Longevity: above average.

Leaving through the rear, I walk the few hundred feet to the shore. A warm night wind draws soft slightly damp air around me from off the water, the rich saline smell of the sea. Green seaweed slaps against the beach, strangely verdant and adding an oddly unique aroma to the air. At the end of the dock, 40 Knots is a safe haven for those who feel most at home on the waves and truly free upon the waters. The wood of the hull, the warm balmy spiciness of foreign lands mixed with the fresh salty sea air adds to the feeling of sunlight on your face and warm water all around you. Sillage: very good. Longevity: excellent.

Birdie, just up the beach, is a gathering place for golf lovers, those who not only love the game but the course on which it is played. Grass and the crisp green tartness of the grounds capture the nose and induce a sigh. The clean floral softness of the greens, the hot dryness of the sand trap are all here, with woods in the background and a deep fertile earthy greenness throughout surrounded by clean water and soft grasses. While not all that fond of the game, itself, I totally love this Club, its heady ambiance and its powerful elegance!! Sillage: very good. Longevity: Great.

Just up the road, the Ascot Moon is having a nighttime polo match. Warm green dew soaked grass is trampled in the cool night air, as sod flies. The blend of pungent green grass, warm leaves and soft mosses is intoxicating. The dry flowers subtle muskiness and slightly dirty spiced accord in the air are enchanting. The lather of excitement and elegance of the players, and their mounts, is truly breathtaking. Luxurious, yet raw and earthy, this game and club are truly superb. Sillage: very good. Longevity: Excellent.

At the end of the night, there is nowhere I would rather have my nightcap than Ivory Route, a club frequented by adventurers and travelers. Here tribal wooden masks carved from great dark trees adorn the walls. Leather chairs look upon antiques, vintage treasures, globes and old maps upon the walls. Everywhere there is something exotic and enticing. Hints of warm Caribbean spices mix with fragrant imported woods and the result is simply transporting. SIllage: very good. Longevity: overnight.

Disclosure: Reviews based on samples provided by Osswald NYC.

Thanks to Osswald NYC we have a draw for three large boxed samples of the winner’s choice. This is a US only draw. To be eligible leave a comment on which three samples you would choose, and if you have a favorite Xerjoff fragrance. Be sure you are in the US. The draw ends September 15, 2013

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 spilled perfume.

–John Reasinger, Senior Editor