Montresor

[jencallisto]

The black fruit and vanilla oaken notes of fine Medoc and De Grâve, but not a hint of the elusive Amontillado.

In the imp: Wow, not kidding about the boozy. Fruity dark wine.
Fresh on the skin: Mmmmmm, fruity dark wine, gaining a little spice.
5 minutes later: Wow, that's some throw. The oak keeps it from going too sweet and/or dark.
10 minutes later: Delightful sillage, all dark fruity wine that's somehow also bright. Not very complex, and I'm not sure I'd want to smell like this very often, exactly, but really quite nice!
15 minutes later: The wine note is just sour enough to be both interesting and a tiny bit off-putting, at least for me. But just barely!
30 minutes later: Mmm, there's the vanilla. That helps balance it out a bit.
1 hour later: I do quite like this, in a sort of mild way.

Verdict: Rather nice, though complicated enough that I'm not sure how I feel about it as a whole. I'll have to try it again.

One word: Wine.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Pale yellow oil. Black currant - but almost boozy, really, like creme de cassis - blackberry, vanilla, and rich brandy. Sweet, but not overly foody.

 

Wet: Really boozy, but in a delicious, decadent way. Deep, dark berries that are ripe, juicy, and not the least bit fake. The vanilla is lightly creamy.

 

Dry: The black currant reminds me of these delicious gummy lozenges in tins I used to get. The brandy (cognac?), vanilla, and blackberry all blend together just below.

 

Summary: This is, to me, cassis version of MB: Closet, with less vanilla and more booze. It has the same dark, rich, rounded and syrupy but not cloying feel. Great throw.

 

Love it.

[VioletChaos]

i was surprised by Montresor. i was expecting it to be a combination of, i don't know, Gluwhein and spicy cherry bark. but instead it became the slightly more aggressive sibling to Tell Tale Heart, all vanilla and tobacco. don't get me wrong, i'm really into it, it's just not at all what i expected.

 

maybe i'll try again in a few days and see if anything changes.

[cinnamonster]

I received this as an empty bottle in a swap with just enough inside to test it.

 

It's smells like the colour burgundy, a fruity plumminess that doesn't turn into artifical grape, but stays true. It smells like when I stew plums with sugar and add a pinch of cinnamon. I get no booziness at all thankfully. Just a spicy plum with an undercurrent of incense.

 

This is actually what snake charmer res smelt like on me after the first couple of hours, as it takes that long for the snake oil smell to burn off a little and the plum come out.

 

I'd like to own more of this!

[iiinterstate]

I usually don't get along with wine notes, so Montresor made me a little nervous.

 

In the bottle it smells more like berries than wine, which is fine by me.

 

On me, it is berries and oak. Oooh the oak is really nice and smooth. I doubt I would have liked this blend much when it was new, but all the notes have blended together beautifully. I get wafts of berry interspersed with wafts of vanilla-y oak. It's lovely and nearly unisex (something I like).

 

Montresor feels like a classier perfume blend, one that I would wear on formal occasions. It reminds me a little bit of the Blood Garden but the oak makes it so much better.

[thewondersmith]

In the imp: Blackberries and cherry. Sort of sugary yet not at all cloying or heavy. Wow, this is actually really lovely!

 

Wet: Pretty much the same as in the imp! I'm really, really loving this at the moment. It's sort of like Closet, but without the super heavy booze/sugar note.

 

Dry: A little fainter, but the throw is fabulous. I don't get a lot of wine from it, which is okay- it's absolutely delish as it is at the moment. The vanilla is... well, fluffy is the only word I can describe it as. It's surprisingly light and airy, but not at all summery, if you know what I mean? Sort of like a very elegant, sophisticated meringue drizzled with boysenberry and blackberry sauce. It'd be a wonderful day AND night scent. I think I may actually prefer this to Closet, which I love, don't get me wrong, it can just get a little heavy sometimes. I think this will be a big bottle purchase for me in the future, if I have the funds!

[Lamia]

Delectable dark fruit. This is delicious. I regret deeply that it's such a quick fade.

[AEris]

A yummy, dark berry wine - blackcurrant (cassis)? Blackberry? Boysenberry? A hint of precious woods, a whisper of vanilla. Juicy with delicate nuances of creamy sophistication.

 

Wow, did I really just score a whole bottle of this???!?!?!?! How are people not tweaking, seeking this scent out??!!!?

 

 

A hidden jewel of vintage BPAL (for me, anyhow). Never heard of it, bought a bottle on a whim from reading the notes. Magically delicious.

 

4.7 out of 5

 

:evol:

[Ishtar]

Oh wow, Montresor has aged so beautifully! When I first tried it 2 years ago, I found it a bit disjointed and rather underwhelming. I could see what this scent was aiming for, but the intended result never materialised on me.

 

Well, like any true Medoc, it just needed to age, undisturbed, for a few years. Still winey and a little sharp in the bottle, then it starts opening up as soon as it touches my skin. Rich vanilla and dry oak combine into a deep, almost tannic base that grounds an absolutely delectable blackcurrant note.

 

This is eerily similar to a beautiful red wine indeed - a bit austere in the bottle, then progressively blossoming into an admirably well-balanced palette of vanilla, oak and dark berries. Fruit-forward and easy to love, with just enough tannin to keep it elegant and complex. A true beauty.

[laslibres]

I can’t believe I got a FRIMP of this in a swap…man, you BPALers are generous!

 

I only put a teeeeny bit on, because I really like the smell in the bottle but I have so little of it. I smell dark boozy grapes and blackberries, with a touch of woodsy something. The vanilla is here too. This is very tasty...the combination of the fruity wine, plus the vanilla and warmer notes is a really nice one, and one I haven't found often (maybe Athens).

 

Also, if this were a wine? It would be my favorite ever (and I'm kinda picky!), and it would be the one that I brought to all the dinner parties and passed around going, "you guys have to try this, it's delicious!"

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This smelled almost as bad as Banned in Boston in the decant, like stale booze. On my skin, it transformed into a glorious black currant and vanilla oak with a wine note that wasn't grapey at all, but rather like a fabulous aged tawny port.

 

Of course, now I need a bottle...and this is not something I ever see for sale or swap.

[saralaughs]

This is a smooth, rich red wine with an earthy oak. It is not a wine you drink to get drunk. You drink it because it tastes damn delicious. Full of dark berries that are full of juice, this smells realistic to the core. Yet, it isn't just 'wine' on your skin. Complex and full, it's a very nice blend. The oak is a tad strong for me though, and reminds me exactly why I don't drink red wine. Not for me.