Have some nephews curious about fragrances and they were excited to test some stuff out. Fun night teaching the young’uns. Next time we will get into oud and the crazy stuff

I'll be totally honest here, my first impression of this sucked. It smelled like old dirty coins. Luckily I'm a Sauvage fan and a lady at the Dior counter got me to try it on skin. Well I'm sure glad I did. Extrait is pure genius. A redemption of you will after the Eau Forte debacle andFrancis Kurkdjian's best work since taking over as creative director from Demachy. This is a darker evelution of the Sauvage story. But it takes a different direction from previous flankers, with the addition of oud. None of that Middle Eastern stuff that you find in all those Lataffa's. I won't bore you with the Dior propaganda, but they did good here. It opens with the familiar dna, Calabrian bergamot, Provençal lavender & a touch of Ambroxan. Just so you know you're in Sauvage territory. But it's a more refined opening than before. Then the shift happens. That Vietnamese Oud hits centre stage. Its resinous rich & a touch smokey. But instead of screaming it's arrived it plays a supporting role wrapping the heart with an unexpected warmth. The dry-down is where it settles into its true form. A combination of Virginia cedar, Indonesian patchouli, and Madagascar vetiver add a dense, earthy, multi-layered woody base that anchors everything beautifully . The Ambroxan keeps that signature salty warmth alive throughout, but the oud and patchouli give it real gravity. Performance is massive easily 8+ hours and it leaves a rich, intimate trail. Kurkdjian hasn't just cranked up the volume; he's added depth and darkness while keeping the soul intact. This might turn out to be the best Sauvage in years. My Rating 9/10 Scent 3 Longevity 2.5 Sillage 2.5 Would I rebuy? 1