Released in 2021, by Pierre Montale, the nose behind the entire Mancera line. This is the heavier, richer evolution of the original 2011 Cedrat Boise. The one point everyone should be talking about is that opening, some say it's comparable too Creed Aventus, but I'd pick this any day over the Creed. Here Montale took a bright citrus-fruit DNA and cranked it up with leather, oud and some serious woody depth, so much so that this is effectively a different fragrance entirely. Also worth noting: despite being labelled Eau de Parfum, it’s bottled at Extrait-level strength, which goes a long way toward explaining why it performs the way it does. You can tell with just a few sprays on the back of your hand. Note the oily film it leaves. That's a sure sign. It opens loud and proud, with a bright, zesty citrus hit alongside juicy, tart blackcurrant, with warm spices underneath so it never reads thin or sharp. If you’re here expecting a straight Aventus clone, hang around: that fruit burst fades faster than you think. Within 45 minutes it darkens up considerably, smooth leather, creamy white sandalwood, and soft Cambodian oud bringing a gentle, refined smokiness rather than anything harsh or medicinal. The jasmine is polite and well-behaved, just a touch of elegance, while patchouli leaves add a clean, earthy-green anchor that keeps it grounded. By the dry-down, warm vanilla, polished grey amber, wild oakmoss and that signature Mancera white musk wrap everything up. Its luxurious, rounded, and surprisingly balanced. The leather and oud don’t scream; they just give the scent real weight and maturity. Performance is surprisingly closer to the 8hour mark than I expected. With strong projection for the first few hours, then a solid, noticeable trail that clings to clothes and lasts well into evening. It settles beautifully and is also noticeably sweeter and heavier than the original. Fantastic in cooler weather, evenings and autumn/winter, but far too dense and syrupy for scorching summer days. And yes, the hype is largely deserved. It’s not perfect, and it’s not cheap, but if you want serious performance and depth rather than just flashy marketing. This is the one.

Got a solid spray to the hand at Macys, which is plenty to get a sense for it. My first reaction: Meh. It’s just meh. The good: it’s pleasant and it actually projects fairly well, I have been catching pleasant whiffs of it for a few hours now. And the woody, powdery vanillic drydown is pleasant. And… that’s all I can really say. The bad: I can’t really say there’s anything bad about it either (although there is a sharpness at the open, probably from violet leaf, that I don’t care for). This to me is just a very pleasant, super mass appealing sweet smooth lavender floral vanilla. To my taste it’s actually very unisex, like straight down the middle. Pretty light on the cardamom & leather and so it’s light enough that I think this can be used safely in all but hot summer days. I honestly don’t see this being the next big thing for Armani - there are of tons of sweet lavender vanilla aromatic choices eg in the BIR line, Invictus Victory and 1 million and Phantom line, Bad Boy line, Gisada Gold, even Ferragamo F Black all coming to mind. I’m not saying all those smell alike or that this smells like those, more that my first impression was oh man this is kind of like things I’ve smelled so many times before and this isn’t so great that it stands out from them, at least to me anyway. Not that the SWY line was groundbreaking or anything, but when I sniff things from that line, I don’t think oh this is similar to so many other things I’ve smelled before (except of course the dozen other SWY flankers lol). I guess what I’m trying to say is the SWY line has some character that I think this release is lacking. I’m honestly a little disappointed, to me this isn’t even decant worthy to test further. But hey, this is just my opinion - go out and sample it for yourself, let me know if you think I need to give this another chance!

Match #37 features two heavyweight fragrance houses and two bottles I expect to keep in my collection for years: Prada L'Homme Intense versus Parfums de Marly Greenley. Prada L'Homme Intense (2017, created by Daniela Andrier) is a fantastic blend of iris, amber, patchouli, tonka bean, sandalwood, and leather. It's powdery, woody, rich, and beautifully smooth. I struggled when buying it because the original Prada L'Homme is also terrific, but the added depth of the Intense eventually won me over. It's certainly not an ideal summer fragrance, but I'm staying home today, so who cares? Parfums de Marly Greenley (2020, created by Nathalie Templer) couldn't be more different. That opening blast of green apple and bergamot over cedar and other woods is bright, crisp, and wonderfully balanced. It's become one of my favorite spring and summer fragrances. I love both of these, and neither is going anywhere when this tournament ends. But I'm a Prada fanboy, and L'Homme Intense is just too good. The richness, depth, and that gorgeous iris ultimately carry the day. Prada L'Homme Intense advances to the quarterfinals, while—somewhat unbelievably—I just sent a Parfums de Marly fragrance into the loser's bracket. Wow.