Profumi de Forte is one of those fragrance lines that is somewhat difficult to find in the U.S. as it seems to be only available at Luckyscent. I discovered the collection in 2008, which at the time consisted of five fragrances at Takashimaya while at Sniffapalooza in New York City. I am still a big fan of Roma Imperiale and Vittoria Apuana and both perfumes are in my permanent collection.  So when Managing Editor Tama Blough was in Milan for Esxence and reported that during her first encounter with Bertrand Duchaufour, he had composed a new perfume for this Italian House, my interest was piqued. The name of the fragrance is Prima Rugiada, which means First Dew.

M. Duchaufour takes us to Forte dei Marmi, a sea town in Tuscany known for beautiful beaches, but the inspiration for Prima Rugiada is not from the water but the beautiful verdant gardens and parks, the green spaces rich in flowers and trees to create this new green floral. Prima Rugiada captures his walks from garden to garden.

" … It was a morning in late May, the perfumer writes in the diary of his olfactory exploration in Forte dei Marmi. The sweetness of cyclamen, lilies of the valley, fresh roses and jasmine in the first of the late spring was captivating, and their blend with notes of dried pine needles, for me, unexpected. The scent of rain that seemed imminent permeated each odor." via extrait.it

Top Notes: galbanum, lemon and Calabrian bergamot, grapefruit, oregano, mint, black pepper, red berries, caraway, cardamom , aldehydes

Heart Notes: lily of the valley, cyclamen, rose, jasmine absolute, purple flowers, leaves, tomato, white freesia, aquatic accord, Mirabelle plum

Base Notes: Absolute oak moss, patchouli, amber accord, gaiacwood , cedarwood Atlas , Haitian vetiver, moss , fir balsam absolute

Eau de Parfum – 100ml

–Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Tama mentioned she saw the Profumi del Forte in Neiman Marcus.