Photo by Rodney Smith

I have written before of my admiration for Tonatto Profumi’s way with flowers. This line produces high-quality fragrances of uncluttered chic and has created some of the freshest, life-like blossoms around. But the woods fragrances are equally fine. Creative director and current nose Diletta Tonatto created the caressing, contemplative PaloSanto, which was one of my favourite perfumes of 2018. But nearly 20 years ago, Tonatto, under the aegis of founder, produced another singularly lovely woods fragrance. Tonatto Profumi Sandalo Per Teti (2000) established that this most elegant of Italian houses can build a perfume around any note with top-flight ingredients and great finesse. Don’t let the name trick you into thinking this is the equivalent of a wood soliflore; Sandalo Per Teti is as much a tea fragrance as it is sandalwood: aromatic, spiked with citrus, with spicy and smoky facets. Instead of heading straight into the woods, Sandalo Per Teti stops by a tea party in a citrus grove for a leisurely cuppa.

Photo, Madam Magazin, Feb 2011

The opening reminds me once again of how realistic Tonatto’s renderings of key notes are. It starts with a realistic tickle of orange rind, aromatic and bitter, joined by tart lemon juice that smells as if you just squeezed the fruit in your hand. Black tea, astringent and peppery, weaves seamlessly into the citrus until Sandalo per Teti transforms from the parched smell of tea leaves into a steepy, smoky brew of Assam, spiked with zingy fruit.

Photo by Lucia Moretti

I often think that sandalwood smells like a cross between an emery board and the mellow, solemn redolence of old wood. Here, that dual quality is on full display as the sandalwood comes forward in all its violin scratchy-smoothness before it melds with tea and citrus. The acerbic perfume of black tea and dense sandalwood create an inspired partnership that is pungent, sprightly, and beautifully balanced. Absolutely stylish, Sandalo Per Teti is one of those rare fragrances that smells terrific in all weathers, on anyone. With its spare, chic beauty and assertive hits of citrus and tea, Tonatto Profumi Sandalo Per Teti is one of my very favourite sandalwood perfumes. Give it a chance and it might well become one of yours.

Notes: Orange, Amalfi lemon, sandalwood, black tea, woody notes, lavender.

Disclaimer: Sample of Tonatto Profumi Sandalo Per Teti kindly provided by Tonatto Profumi. My opinions are my own.

–Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Tonatto Profumi Sandalo Per Teti 

Thanks to the generosity of Tonatto Profumi, we have a of  100 ml  of Tonatto Profumi Sandalo Per Teti for one registered reader  in The EU, USA and Canada . To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest in Sandalo Per Teti based on Lauryn’s review and where you live. Draw ends 2/15/2019.

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