On a recent visit to the South of France, we spent an afternoon at Chateau de Flaugergues, one of Montpellier’s more spectacular “folies,” those summer homes built for the city’s elite during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Count Henri de Colbert, the chateau’s owner, toured us through the ten-acre parks and gardens, including a forest of bamboo that was as still and pristine as a temple in Kyoto. Later, we sipped wine from the chateau’s vineyard.
© Kilian
The perfumer Kilian Hennessy, cognac heir and scion to the LVMH Group, might have felt equally at home in this rarefied setting and, in fact, it might well have been a similarly bucolic setting that inspired Hennessy’s Asian-influenced fragrance Bamboo Harmony.
Created by perfumer Calice Becker as part of Kilian’s Asian Tales collection, Bamboo Harmony is as lovely as a summer afternoon in the South of France. The light fragrance is a reflection of the quiet encountered in a forest of bamboo after a morning rain. Subtle citrus notes of bergamot, bigarade, and neroli segue into an ethereal trio of heart notes comprised of white tea, bamboo, and mimosa.
© Kilian
The sensation is not unlike a sip of Champagne in the midsummer sun: you feel elevated and buoyant, as if you’re riding a breeze. Bamboo Harmony’s clean finish is marked by green notes of maté and oak moss.
© Kilian
In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo (alongside orchid, plum blossom, and chrysanthemum) is considered one of the “four gentlemen,” serving as a guide for the behavior of gentlemen.
Unlike several of Becker’s more exuberant creations for Kilian, Bamboo Harmony is a model of restraint and decorum. This is the scent of inspired confidence: there’s no horn blowing here, no fragrance trumpets. Instead, Bamboo Harmony reflects the integrity of a person at peace in the world – not unlike a forest of bamboo: upright and elegant.
