The smell of fine leather probably has no nationality but if it did carry a passport it would have a high probability of being Italian. Italy is among the leading nations producing luxury leather goods. This makes it a natural fit for the new series from Memo Paris called “Cuirs Nomades”. The second release in the series, following Irish Leather earlier in 2013, is Italian Leather. The reliable Memo Paris team of Creative Director/Owner Clara Molloy and Perfumer Alienor Massenet once again combine their talents for this newest entry to the line.

When I received my sample of Italian Leather I was expecting something decadently plush and soft. Mmes Molloy and Massenet had something else in mind. Their idea of Italian Leather is of a sports car with the top down racing down the road to wherever the next bend in the road brings them. They wanted to capture the smell of the wind blowing through the driver’s hair and when you pull over to the side of the road you stop right next to a field of tomatoes ripening in the sun. The keynotes for Italian Leather are green tomato leaf, leather, and vanilla. Together they form the axis upon which this fragrant joy ride spins its wheels.

The tomato leaf is what I first noticed when wearing Italian Leather. It is herbal and leafy green all together. Mme Massenet chooses enhancers of both of those characteristics by adding in clary sage and galbanum. Both of those notes provide depth without standing out prominently. If I look for them I notice them but really they are there to allow the tomato leaf to flourish. The leather accord comes next and it is tanned with a fantastic vanilla. The juxtaposition of the animalic and the sweet is precisely balanced and in conjunction with the tomato leaf completes the central triptych at the core of Italian Leather. Mme Massenet adds in a resinous foundation of myrrh, opopnax, and balsam before finishing it all with sandalwood and musk.

Italian Leather has all day longevity and above average sillage.

Italian Leather took me on a surprising olfactory trip every bit as exhilarating as a trip down the Amalfi Coast in an Alfa Romeo without a care in the world. I loved every hairpin turn and chicane throughout the day that this fragrance took me through. Pull on your metaphorical driver’s gloves and take it for a spin, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Campomarzio70.

Thanks to Memo Paris we have a carded sample to giveaway. This is a US draw only. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite Memo Paris fragrance or your favorite Italian sports car. Remember to indicate you are in the US. The draw will end November 16, 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.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor