Gritti: Cherry Velvet│Duchessa – Fragrance Reviews

Duchessa by Gritti – A Luscious Symphony of Scents

Duchessa by Gritti seems to be a fresh sour cherry at first. However, it only lasts a little time until saffron and sugar, almond and bitter orange, spices, and iris powder take center stage, and the scent becomes deep and velvety – a black cherry velvet! It’s stitched with almond dragees, pomegranate seeds, dried cherries, and orange succades rather than braids, ribbons, and pearls.

A Historical Dance of Fragrances

When I first tried Duchessa, I remembered reading in a book about historical dances that in the XVII and XVIII centuries, at the French and English courts, as well as possibly some other European courts, it was customary to reward dance performers with not only flowers but also sweets…

Enchanting Imagery – The Young Maiden in Cherry Velvet

Following the performance, the girls collected sugared fruits and sugar-coated almonds from the folds of their skirts and wide, fluffy sleeves and placed them in handkerchiefs, comparing who got the most. When I first sampled Duchessa, I pictured one of these young maidens dressed in a rich cherry velvet gown she could never have purchased for herself and showered with sweets she had never eaten before. I imagine her standing tall and proud, struggling not to hastily retrieve the candy and fruits that fall from her garment to the floor with every movement. Dressed smartly but solemn. She is not a duchess yet. But maybe eventually…

A Fusion of Fruity and Velvety Notes

Duchessa begins with fresh sour cherries, but suddenly a very ripe pomegranate erupts in the composition’s core, scattering sweet, acidic seeds. And the sweetness of the cherry spreads, huge, meaty, and nearly black: not the fragrance of the cherry, which is pretty unremarkable, but the taste… As if the most wonderful cherry flavor could be turned into a perfume.

Velvety Sensuality – The Essence of Duchessa

The bitter-sweet saffron creates a spicy, somewhat dry, almost gritty smell. It’s the reason for the velvet connection, I suppose, while the hue of the velvet is cherry, wine, and pomegranate. Almond imparts a lethal sharpness and exquisite sweetness; in Duchessa, it appears as a white bridal dragee as well as a drop of poison in a glass of red wine. The peach note is fresh, luscious, and velvety, while the orange has already been transformed into success. Clove lends a sharpness, a mild coolness, and a vintage vibe to Duchessa.

A Symphony of Aromas

Wild iris is chilly – cold iris powder, laying in a gentle yet thick layer over the velvet of peach and glossy black berries. However, the wine, which was just hinted at at first, becomes increasingly apparent. It’s both spicy and sweet. It’s infused with cherry juice and then warmed with spices, sugar, and orange zest to create a Christmas mulled wine. Other aromas soften under the influence of sweet wine, such as the almond becoming marzipan and the iris powder becoming white icing on Sicilian cassata.

A Rich Baroque Elixir

Duchessa smells completely contemporary, but with a hint of baroque richness and excess: everything is so dressed up, and there are so many features that you can’t see them all at once. It’s reminiscent of 17th-century flower and fruit still lifes. I’m afraid I’m not aware of any that mix cherries, almonds, and pomegranates. But there’s one by Jan Davidsz de Heem that doesn’t include almonds but does have a twig of cherries and a burst-ripe pomegranate. With its luscious scent and variety of components, this is an apt representation of Duchessa.

Luxurious Celebration in a Bottle

Duchessa is luxurious, maybe even excessively so: it may not be a perfume for daily use… On the other hand, it may be a fantastic notion to make every day a celebration, even just with one’s perfume. Despite the celebrations, Duchessa has enough bitterness to scent serious.