Description
Siena, a city of a Tuscane region, is the elegant and sophisticated heart of Italy. In the winter time, the atmosphere of Siena becomes mysterious: the hazy narrow cobblestone streets, the incense that wafts through the air, the smell of coal roasted chestnuts, the violet and fern scent of hidden gardens… a world of discreet and familiar sensations.
Sienne l’Hiver (Siena in Winter) captures the winter time smells of Siena. All the winter notes are included in the composition: smoky subtle nuances like coal roasted chestnuts, black olives, autumn leaves and truffles, followed by French straw, iris root and white musk. This unique and unusual fragrance, suitable for women and for men, comes as Eau de Toilette Spray in 100ml size bottles.
The nose behind this fragrance is Bertrand Duchaufour.
chooraceaLin – :
This is why I love perfume!
What a work of art. I didn´t think it was possible to smell like black olive brine and enjoy it 🙂
All the listed notes are there, transporting you to a specific place – a place I will definitely be revisiting.
This is not a people pleaser – this is a perfume you wear for yourself.
star_888bk – :
Floral, green, too feminine for me, but pleasant.
pitocugosi – :
Sienne l’Hiver (Siena in Winter). This one is definitely unique. I get loads of fern in this composition, which reminds me of my grandparents’ garden. Indeed, this one is quite woody with a refreshing tone of violet leaf and some hay to give it a countryside feel to it, it is quite green. For me it is quite linear, which is great. The longevity is average, about six hours with moderate to soft projection. It is one of the better Eau D’Italie fragrances that fits the season of Spring perfectly, which makes me me think why is it called Siena in Winter? In any case, I do recommend trying it out, it is a delight to wear it.
haminhgiap – :
More a scent of time and space, this evocative creation by Bertrand Duchaufour is his reminiscing about wintry days in the city of Siena, Italy. Combining notes of violet leaf, geranium, black olive, white truffle, smoke, woods, coal roasted chestnuts, autumn leaves, french straw, iris root, and white musk, he creates this serene and contemplative scent which is mysterious, contemplative and serene. This is a perfume that wont dazzle a lot of people or put them in swoon filled ecstasies but will take them to more reflective, sentimental moments in their life. Perfect for wintry days while you sit and enjoy your espresso and look into the snow falling on the street or your yard. Moderate in sillage, long lasting, well blended and most importantly, utterly unique!
levifan – :
The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel 1565
zagryzun – :
I love the original Eau’Italie, with the clay and clover notes. All the others are nice and interesting but not bottle worthy for me.
After reading most of the reviews, I got my sample. First I got what someone said about it smelling like a green branch broken off a tree, and I do allso get that green sappy smell, like in Dyptique Philosykos.
Then I thought of someone saying it smelled like, “Grey Flanel”, yes I get that, but a fresher Grey Flanel.
The negative comments about it smelling like bitter vegetables, yeah, I get that, not very pleasant, maybe more like week old vegies in the trash, bitter, and sour.
It is a bit aromatic in a fairly pleasant way; I get the French hay, the green fern, and a touch of carrot like Iris.
I agree that it’s more interesting than wearable.
I like fragrance as art, and I like natural, earthy, realistic fragrances like Dyptique makes; But they can be made to be very wearable, but this is not for the most part.
I applied more of my sample today, and it made me think about ELdO bodily excretions fragrance which I never tried, but I thought it may smell something like this; It kind of smells like sour BO, very creative. 🙁
Rating: 6/10
God bless. John 3:16
fenya2009 – :
scent : 9/10
sillage : 7/10
longevity : 7/10
70% day / 30% night fragrance
nice green,violet and woody scent
Reminds me of grey flannel
kundrjuzkaj – :
This is the first scent that taught me that perfume is truly and art form. It took me on an olfactory journey so atmospheric, that I actually felt I was in that street in Sienna on that cold, winter’s day, surrounded by the smells of hay, truffles, damp flagstones, ferns and violets.I would call this a serene, contemplative scent – not one to wear on a date, for sure!I would gladly wear this for a day studying in the library or at home engrossed in a novel.
drymchuk – :
Sienne l’hiver is like a morning walk in the countryside in a winter day, you can feel the humidity fill your lungs. It’s a melancholic end introspective perfume. It opens with fern and violet leaf and after a while iris. I don’t detect the smell of olive. Longevity and sillage are good.
It’s a very particular and unusual scent but if you don’t like cold, green and earthy perfume Sienne l’Hiver is not for you because there’s no sweetness in it
sekyritate – :
It is very hard for me to break this fragrance down into notes. It does an admirable job of conveying its inspiration– at first I get the impression cold earth. As it dries down I pick up a little bit of ‘barbershop’ (the fern?) and powder (iris or violet leaf?). Again, these cold notes leave an impression of winter.
Some winter fragrances try to convey warmth in a spiced ambery lushness, this perfume instead mimics the feeling its name invokes.
Leon1990 – :
Despite its winter description, I get some lovely fresh flowers at the opening, almost rose-like. But it soon does settle into chilly, smoky, olive tree with salt air, even a hint of dill pickle, and still some lingering florals. I can definitely get behind the imagery of a charismatic old European city on a winter evening (or maybe a cool autumn evening). Has some similarity to the feel of Passage d’Enfer, with the cool stone and lilies and incense. Beautiful!
mkx912InsuffBooni – :
I bought this out of curiosity… And I found it in Winners, I so rarely see any niche perfume in there I just handed out my credit card and bought it on the spot!
But I must admit I was disappointed ! The bottle is cilindrical not square, looking like the second pic on fragrantica. I sprayed it once and inhaled deeply hoping for a mysterious and natural smell… Nothing like that. It was strong, pungent, bitter green. No femininy whatsoever . Such a disappointment !
My daughter said,,, it smells like old books! Yes, she was right…. There is an old book smell in this scent that I usually associate with mouldy buildings ….I didn’t spray more, one spray was enough for me…. I let it develop…. It lasted a long time, luckily without a lot of silage since I didn’t like it at all…. The scent did turn quite a bit, becoming a little warmer in the end.
Still , the beginning killed it for me. It was , in my opinion, lacking any ” joie de vivre “, or joy of life. It was gloomy, cold, somewhat serious and somewhat sad…. It reminded me of Mitsouko but without the peach… Another one I couldn’t wear.
I conclusion… It is a very well crafted scent..,unisex, but leaning more towards masculine. It is also quite complex and not easy to understand, this is a mature perfume. I could see it ” feeding ” on of my rare depressive moments …. Which isn’t something I want to accoplish… But I could work well for someone who doesn’t smell like to smell like fruits and flowers and all things sweet… Except some special l moments, I usually prefer sunny and happy scents, more wholesome and simple and soft. Off for swap it went, after a single spray, and to my great surprise got a number of inquiries…. I guess we are all different and my perception of a scent could be entirely different than yours.
Lesson noticed, for the hundredth time …. Try before you buy!
leunam – :
To me, Sienne l’Hiver is not Winter, as my Winters are more like Demeter Snow (ozone and laundry exhausts) than ferns, violet and geraniums. BUT, I do come from a very humid part of Canada where we have a lot of beautiful, massive ferns and I am very familiar with them as we eat them in a dish we call “fiddler’s heads”, as do many other people around the world. This perfume is so true to nature, it is shocking. At first, it does not seem as if it would be too wearable, and I did put it up for swap almost immediately after I bought it, but I am so happy nobody was interested. Because THIS is what I’ve been looking for, for a long time and I just realized this now.
It’s a true bitter green perfume, without obvious ozone, calone, musk or Iso E super. It’s quite the little gem. People find it very sad and depressing and I can see why. But to me, it smells… pure. Whereas others may describe a dewy calone, a powdery heliotrope or a white musk scent as pure, my description reflects my idea of purity. Think of a small fern peaking through the soil. Pick it and crush it between your fingers… you will get Sienne l’Hiver. A bitter sap. Or snap a small branch from a young tree and you will also get that smell, from the wet, sappy, tender wood inside. It’s so very realistic. This is what I wanted Black March to be but on me, it was way too cologne-y. Too perfume-y.
For a Nature lover like me, this is not sad, it is lively and delightful. I keep sniffing and I cannot get the smallest amount of what I negatively call “perfume-y”. Awesome! I do get a bit of a clove-effect, though. But that’s ok, I love cloves.
Final verdict, if you are used to wearing botanical perfumes and chypres (or both, one of my favorite category), you may well find this wearable. But do remember… it does not warm up or end in ambery musks. It is frozen in green bitterland forever. Without apologies!
cyelsea1975 – :
Literally the most depressing scent I’ve ever smelled. I don’t care for most of his fragrances, but he’s captured Winter as a concept piece extraordinarily well.
This is the color grey, bottled.
If you’re from the northeastern US, you’ll appreciate this one.
tanya12345 – :
I love Sienne L’Hiver. It’s a true introspective scent, in a similar vein as Serge Lutens’ De Profundis. This is what you wear when you’re in a contemplative mood and just want to go for a nice long walk by yourself in the Fall or early Winter, when all the leaves have dropped but before you’re hammered with snow (at least up here in Maine.)
It’s dusk in a town in Italy, there’s a chill in the air, and people are beginning to settle in for the evening an you go for a quiet walk down the wet cobblestone streets, enjoying the stark beauty of things getting tucked in for the Winter. It’s a great example of olfactory portraiture, beautifully capturing a moment in time by painting it for the nose.
This is a scent to be worn for yourself, not those around you.
chipas – :
Sienne l’Hiver is truly a masterpiece: original, well blended and long lasting. Together with Bois d’ombrie Bertrand made a pair of twins for Eau d’Italie. Those twins that don’t look (smell) alike but you can tell from miles away they are so. They definitely share dna.
My only concern regarding Sienne l’hiver is its wearability. I haven’t been able to think of any occasion to use it without feeling I’d be bothering others. It is too one of a kind in a bizarre way… like a work of art only enjoyable by specialists. I feel tempted to describe it (the olive smell, the herbal vibe, the extreme coldness…) but I have been going through my small sample for 2 years now and still find it awkward. Amazing but detached, aloof, unreachable.
It’s definitely a fragrance I’d love to have for a perfume fair to show the world the wonders of fragrance, what these masters like Bertrand can create… but as a personal scent 100ml would stay unsprayed for decades. I love it but wouldn’t wear it.
ment382 – :
Sienne l’Hiver opens with geranium leaf, violet petals, and fern, but I can only describe what my nose smells: Dry olives in powder. Ever since I smelled the drugstore body mist Olive and Aloe from Healing Gardens, I realized how much I love the smell of olives, although I hate the taste! The olive note is obvious, but not overpowering because it is softened by the powder (or the blend that smells like powder to my nose). I would like to say Sienne l’Hiver is a well-balanced fragrance, but that awesome olive note simply drowns in all that powder. I suspect Eau d’Italie tries too hard to be like Serge Lutens because their frags, the ones I have tried, all have that same powdery drydown. Overall, Sienne l’Hiver is unique, and definitely worth sampling.
philips007 – :
Liquid Winter. No joke. This may be a turnoff for many, as it is a very somber, almost depressing scent. It’s grey, Winter nostalgia. I’m from the northeast, so imagine a cold day after the snow has gotten a bit dirty on the pavement and the smell of the cold nothing is in the air. That’s this one. Not one I care for but one that I undeniably recognize.
BriennaRary – :
There’s a gorgeous peppery quality to this, lurking amongst the woody notes. I never see this as herbal or aromatic on me at all, it’s a very woodsy perfume on my skin.
But, just hanging in the background is a smell I can only describe as wet dog. The other smells that are going on are all really nice and interesting – very autumnal, smoky and mysterious – but this wet dog scent keeps popping up every so often. It drives me crazy because if it wasn’t for whatever that note it, I would jump to buy a full bottle of this.
It’s a very interesting and original scent, so I’m going to give it a few more tries in the hope the wet dog thing was just a one off. Fingers crossed!
stepanof1979 – :
I have legitimately tried three of hs fragrances wanting to like each one because of all the hype surrounding him as an artist… but once more I’m slightly disappointed. This particular fragrance captures the grey moodiness of autumn unquestionably and successfully so, however it seems entirely inappropriate for anything outside of a novelty candle or sent for a home or apartment.
It has that “typical” niche quality about it that makes it wearable only by those that are aiming to be unique, however it lacks the smell of a well-crafted fragrance worthy of a master perfumer’s signature.
Bitter, grey, somewhat depressing.
3/5
I’ll stick to Nicolai, thank you.
LidaKolova – :
It doesn’t remind me of winter at all. It is dusty, slightly synthetic. When I think about winter, pine trees, apples, ginger come to mind, not this. I can distinguish geranium, woody smell, maybe some dry herbs (almost like parsley) – it sounds weird, but this is what it reminds me of… I wish I could like it more…
Beksultan98 – :
Winter is my favorite time of year. I love snow, overall calmness and peace a winter brings, I love holidays. I like wearing coats and robust jackets and boots. However, all this cold and freeze has its dark side, and it’s exactly what Sienne l’Hiver captured for me. It’s like, if a winter fog could have a smell, it would smell like this.
Sienne l’Hiver is a green, herbal perfume, with a lot of different grassy and aromatic notes. The notes in this scent, however, are hard to dissect for me. The only two notes I can put my finger on are orris and geranium, both in the heart of the fragrance and both earthy and dusty in a way. The rest is a sea of greenness in the opening and the woodiness in the base. People here mostly feel a fern note and it doesn’t help me a little bit, since I have no clue what fern smells like. Also, hay note could be spotted by someone, just like violet leaf, I cannot say they are not here, but all I feel is a complex conglomerate of grasses, herbs and leaves.
Both longevity and sillage are moderate, with the scent being closer to the skin as the time passes and more woods appear.
All that being said, I think I’d prefer this scent if it was a candle, or another home fragrance type. That doesn’t say that it cannot be worn, it can, in a variety of ways, seasons and occasions. Still, if it was an ambiental smell, it would fit the story better. I’ll give my best to explain this.
On a man it is green, sharp and aromatic. However, if the point was to capture the essence of winter air, it was done very successfully – even if it doesn’t sound that way being that green and winter don’t really sound complementary. Now, you cannot really feel an atmosphere of winter from a man (or woman, it doesn’t matter). The perfume worn by a person is what I said, green, sharp and herbal and, even if different from other similar perfumes, it is still, in a way, ordinary. The cloud of perfume is a whole other story. You see, it would get 10/10 from me if it was meant to be a concept, a smell, or a candle. In this case, I feel like wearing it makes a disservice to its quality perception.
7.75/10
olesa – :
An original scent but not a full bottle for me at this time. I agree with the reviewers who call this herbal and green. Not something I would have pictured as l’hiver, unless one is wistful for spring in the middle of winter and breathes in this scent to catch a glimpse of the future or a memory of the past. Longevity is good, more than six hours for me but it started and remained close to the body. I prefer the fuller Tauer’s Reverie Au Jardin if I were to get a bottle of green. This is lovely but more watered down and more of a sibling to Calvin Klein’s Truth.
alexsandr82 – :
Sienne l’Hiver is a very kitchen-garden smell for me. Dill, geranium, all the herbs blended together. Very grassy green dry non-sweet scent. Totally can see how a man can wear it. Women? Not every, as absolute lack of sweetness will repell the majority of females. Those strongest left might immensely enjoy this version of winter – a winter when violets and irises are in flower and predominant color outside is green, not white. Winter looks and feels radically different where I live, so I can use Italian winter scent during my spring or early summer – when after a long frigid winter you so look forward to blue skies, fresh leaves and first flowers.
Pischer – :
I feel as though I’ve smelled the opening of Eau d’Italie SIENNE L’HIVER many times before. Something about the slightly sweet, violet-scented finely powdered cedar? Yes, the opening moments of this composition smell very familiar indeed. It’s cedar, not iso-E-super, so I’m happy to be in the presence of this scent, no matter how many times I’ve smelled it before. (Creed LOVE IN BLACK, anyone?)
Somehow I managed yet again to select for testing a creation by Bertrand Duchaufour. I am actually starting to wonder whether I might be a Duchaufour magnet. My hand seems naturally to reach for the Duchaufour hiding in any cache of samples! Fortunately, I like his work, so with rare exceptions, I have been happy with the new discoveries I have hit upon.
SIENNE L’HIVER joins the winners, in my book. After a few minutes, this creation begins to reveal its distinctness–this is not a clone or a knock-off or even an unintentional copy of anything else because the drydown is very different from the opening. Once the cedar and violet have faded, then more of a ferny quality emerges, making me begin to see what one reviewer has referred to as “medieval” and “melancholy”. Actually, looking over the reviews here at Fragrantica, it appears that we are all talking about different perfumes!
I love the opening, however redundant it may seem, but I also like the drydown, which is more of a savory grayish green than a sweet purplish cedar scent. It’s as though the perfume has started out its day full of vim and verve and then winds down for a nap. Or perhaps a better comparison would be the short days which we are now experiencing in Boston, with the sun setting by 4pm. Brightness cedes to twilight over the course of a short period of time. For some this may be a source of seasonal affective disorder. For others, it could represent a felicitous extension of the night.
Алёна379 – :
Sienne L’Hiver by Eau d’Italie – One is initially treated to a rush of herbal greenness. The peppery verdancy of geranium leaf intermingles with the mowed grass, tinged with cucumber, of violet leaf. A faint sweetness from rushes and fern drift in the background. Transitioning to the heart, an animalic castoreum, with its mesmerizing salty, oily, sweaty, smoky and nutty aspects, bathes the greens in an exotic, abraded-leather aura. Iris root parades it woody floralcy, while white truffle imparts its strangely elegant, sulphuric nuances. And, frankincense flaunts its balsamic and faintly mineral, mystical aromatics. Segueing to the base, an intriguing wave of petrichor gives the illusion of raindrops spashing on cobblestones, while hay casts its sweetly warm and pungent character. Guaic wood infuses its rosy and faintly smoky woodiness. And, labdanum presents its resinous nuances of ambergris and incense, as well as tar and leather. A wondrous drydown ensues. A truly masculine scent, this well-blended and high-quality composition has radiating projection and very good longevity, about 10 hours.
Semen777 – :
I am no ta blond (Kterhark) 🙂
but I love it.
No bleach on me.
Its a fresh and uplifting pefrume.
Spring Summer-very light.
Its very close to skin
On me it is a light woody green
nomtigneel – :
I was expecting a lot from this frag after reading its review in one of many perfume blogs. My impression was that it should be herbal and windy yet a bit smokey.
Indeed, it is herbal in the start, in a very bitter way – smells like slightly withered geranium leaves. Then it develops into… carrot juice! Sweetly-bittery in a way that only carrot juice can be.
I still can’t decide whether I like it or not.
,jkmijq – :
I tried it from the shelves of a shop. I didn’t know Sienne l’Iver is by Douchafour, one of my favourite noses. I was astonished by its originality. New, interesting notes giving a precise idea of winter snowy days in Italy. Now that I have read it has an olive note I can detect it. Honestly it’s disturbing the idea of wearing olives …. but still the parfume is a masterpiece. Douchafour is always able to seduce me with olfactive landscapes. A great smell painter, this man.
karat211 – :
Oh god, yes, Kterhark – bleach! This is what I’m getting as well. I applied it on my wrist while I was at work and after I applied a client came in, so I had to speak with him not sniff my wrist. We spoke and I got whiffs of what I can only describe as – oh my god this smells so disturbing and bad. I have tried almost all Eau D’Italie line and it’s somehow very god, but this one is such a no no for me.
It’s not green, it’s incensy, woody, bitter and very wrong on my skin.
lifeless – :
You’ll have a hard time bonding with this fragrance if you’re not blonde.
Because if you are, you’re familiar with the two hour process it takes to keep it that way. This smells just like the bleach creme that goes on your head every few months. This is probably why I’m drawn to it- I associate the smell with pampering.
L’hiver is a frosted pane of glass looking out on a fat lady’s high note. It’s both off putting and alluring at the same time, and I keep going back for more to see if I can better wrap my head around it. I really thought there was iris here, and suspect it’s the fern that brings the opening chill.
I highly recommend trying, because scent wears differently on everyone and you never know. For me it’s not a color I”ll keep, but I”m glad we crossed paths.
Qanatoz – :
whoever described it as floral green must have missed something out..i smell wood, and a lot of it too. wood, incense and geranium.
quite a peculiar smell. very square, very clear and confident. i see a person wearing it as ambitious but a little shallow. i think that the scent is lacking deepness and character. on the other hand it’s quite easy to wear, might be perfect for the office:-)
.::FanToM::. – :
3/5
d_kolesov – :
Not my cup of tea.
I do not find anything feminine here, it is too herbal and bitter, headache giving fragrance.
The papyrus note is not beautiful as in Midnight Oud by JHG, I can hardly detect it.
Really interesting fragrance, unusual enough to be given a try,but I will never buy this and I think I will not like it on a man too.
platash – :
ELMIFRA, how funny, I think it’s cold, distant and serene, but I agree it’s strikingly beautiful. Like the foggy streets of a medieval city at dawn. It actually feels like chilly air.
Would I be saying this if it had a different name? Probably not, but this name (Siena in winter) conjures up such a powerful visual to me, and the scent composes the perfect background music to it. It’s a perfect match. I can’t say it smells of this or that, because it doesn’t. This is one of those etheral scents that have an atmosphere rather than a scent made up of distinct, recognizable components. And a very interesting and rarely experienced one at that.
clubbicle – :
A little masterpiece!
Very warm, comfortable, sweet, a little smokey, but it has the smoothy, greasy but sweet note of black olive which makes this parfume so interesting and really particular.
Another must try!