Harvest Moon 2019

[zankoku_zen]

This Harvest lunacy blend combines the autumnal scents of dry leaves, mulling spices, balsam fir, pine needles, cedar, juniper berry, clove, saffron, damson plum, white sage, yarrow, and lily twined with Dionysus’ sacred grapes and ivy, a bounty of apple, black fig, and pumpkin, and the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, all touched by a gentle breath of festival woodsmoke and sweet wine.

Edited September 16, 2019 by zankoku_zen

[zankoku_zen]

Wine! Wine with plums, pine, mulling spices, apples, pumpkin. So fall wine. But yes, wine. Wine for the Sabbath, and Mabon, and for all of those Autumn times. When the wind gets cooler, the nights chillier, the leaves turn color.  Good throw and wear length.

[starbrow]

This one sounded glorious, but that "gentle breath" of sweet wine has not typically been my experience with BPAL wine notes. They tend to blast their way into blends with all the subtlety of a $5 pack of cooking wine bottles - yes, you know the ones, that taste like grape juice that's sat in the back of the cupboard for a few months? When really I want an expensive vintage Italian bottle? Oh, BPAL, you break my heart. I want their wine to be gorgeous and aged on me.

 

Well, my wish has finally come true. This is spiced autumnal wine, far from sour, bright summer wine. It is deeply mulled with all those glorious fall florals, herbs, and woods. Leaves waft up to my nose first; no hint of cologne like the Dead Leaves collection can have, these are pure crunchy leaves underfoot. I get a little clove, a hint of woods, and a lot of darkly spiced fruits. I would like more plum, of course, but I know it's in there, playing a supporting role in the blend. Any florals are muted and well-behaved. The woodsmoke is the most delicate of tendrils, truly a gentle breath.

 

Harvest Moon belongs with the most sophisticated Weenies. (Even considering labeling the top with my Weenie sticker and storing it in the collection!) It has enough waft that I can smell it without huffing my wrist, although I have to reapply it in a few hours. I hope it ages beautifully. I think it will. Very happy to have a bottle. 

[alyelle]

In the imp: blackcurrant, spice, and red fruit, topped with wine

 

Wet: balsam and cypress, a hint of fig, sage and saffron. White grapes and white musk. It's complex but very harmonious.

 

Dry: this reminds me of a non-BPAL blend I once ended up with, but far superior. Smokey festival smells of rum cake and sweets, mulled wine, and cold forest air. It is rich, delicious, and lasts forever - still going strong at 12 hours with a hefty throw.

 

Stars: ★★★★½

[Threemoons]

Pulled this one out for trip out to Mom for Thanksgiving.  On me this reads as a gorgeous mulled wine with a cloud of smoky sweet tobacco.