Noir Exquis was released in 2015, composed by Bertrand Duchaufour for L'Artisan Parfumeur. The fragrance recounts an unplanned rendezvous in a Parisian pastry shop: candied chestnut and candied orange at the opening, coffee and maple syrup at the heart, a dark vanilla set against ebony and sandalwood to finish.
Kafkaesque describes it as smokier, woodier and less sweet than the pastry-shop promise suggested, with an opening close to Tobacco Vanille. ÇaFleureBon welcomes the release with interest.
Olfastory’s review
Kafkaesque
The blog Kafkaesque published a lengthy review on October 6, 2015. Its author sees a pastry-shop visit that turns into a vanilla, smoky and woody oriental, with candied chestnuts set atop a dark vanilla and a distinctly tobacco note.
She notes a resemblance at the start to Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, and judges the fragrance far less sweet than the latter. She notes a discreet sillage, weak projection at a small dose, and a longevity that nonetheless reaches ten hours.
Her warning concerns quantity: the fragrance requires a generous application to deliver anything beyond its opening.
ÇaFleureBon
The blog ÇaFleureBon welcomes the release with interest and recalls that Duchaufour signed Séville à l'aube, Vanille Absolument and Traversée du Bosphore for the house, three fragrances that its author counts among his favorites from the brand.
Auparfum
Auparfum covered the launch in August 2015 and places the fragrance on the gourmand coffee side. The review highlights the break with the travel theme that had until then carried Duchaufour's creations for the brand.