Xerjoff Richwood

Jacques Flori composed this for the 17/17 Stone Label, and the name promises a woody fragrance that the note list does not actually deliver. Xerjoff released Richwood in 2010 as an eau de parfum built on Mysore sandalwood and patchouli, and it has since become the release most often named when people argue the house justifies its prices. The gap between what it is called and what it smells like is worth understanding first. Aromatica has the Richwood decant in Bangladesh in three sizes.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Mandarin Peel, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Blackcurrant

Heart: Rose, Geranium

Base: Patchouli, Musk, Labdanum, Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood

Full note breakdown on Basenotes.

The Scent

The opening is brighter and more citrus-forward than almost anyone expects, and on some skin it runs unusually long. Mandarin peel, grapefruit and bergamot come up together with blackcurrant giving the whole thing a tart fruity depth, and one reviewer describes the effect as an expensive champagne lightly dusted with clove and nutmeg. There are no spice notes in Richwood at all, and that phantom spice comes from the geranium, which is a detail worth listening for. Rose and geranium then rise slowly rather than switching over, and the transitions here are smooth enough that several people single out the blending as the fragrance's real achievement. The heart is where it becomes recognisably vintage in feel, floral and slightly soapy, and this is the phase that divides opinion most sharply. The base is the reason people buy it. Sandalwood arrives creamy and thick, patchouli sits earthy underneath it without the sharpness patchouli usually brings, and a bourbon-like vanilla rounds everything into something dense and warm. Comparisons to Chanel Coromandel and Dior Patchouli Imperial come up constantly, and the most useful summary offered by reviewers is that all three are branches of the same tree: Coromandel goes resinous and white-chocolate, Patchouli Imperial goes spicy, and Richwood stays smooth and creamy with a rose in place of the cocoa. The dissenting view is worth stating plainly, and several reviewers hear old-fashioned potpourri, soapy and dusty and out of its era, and find nothing in it worth the money. A number of people also report an acrid synthetic edge. Reformulation complaints, mostly about heavier patchouli in newer batches, are common enough to expect.

One more thing worth flagging: sandalwood is no longer listed in the current pyramid even though it is what most people smell, which suggests the material has changed at some point in the fragrance's fifteen-year run.

When to Wear

Cool weather and dressed-up occasions. Winter evenings, formal events and anywhere the room is warm enough to lift the sandalwood. Fall daytime works too if you keep the application light. The Woody collection has more of this character.

Who Is It For

Someone who wants a creamy sandalwood and patchouli with a rose running through it, and who is not put off by a fragrance that smells like it came from an earlier era.

If Richwood appeals, Coromandel is the fragrance it is most often compared to and the pair explain each other. Browse the full Xerjoff collection at Aromatica.

Available as an authentic decant in Bangladesh at Aromatica in 3ml, 5ml, and 9ml.