The key ingredients for all Parterre Fragrances are grown and distilled at Keyneston Mill in Dorset. The skilled team oversee the production process from seeds and seedlings, through planting in the crop fields, to harvest and distillation. The intensity of fragrance is achieved through care and nurturing of the plants, and picking at the optimum moment. Its knowing what to grow and when to grow – but also when to harvest, distill and refine. Once ready, materials are inspected and blended by a master perfumer. The three original Parterre fragrances were formulated by Jacque Charbert (who also put together Guerlain's Samsara among his other creations). Each year Parterre experiment with new crops and more perfumes will be coming out depending on which plant thrives. At the moment they are working on a grass that smells like tonka and if it takes off, we might see a beautiful coumarinic fougere next year.
Parterre Fragrances are sustainably produced, vegan, cruelty free and phthalate free. All Parterre perfume editions are numbered because each year produces a limited amount of the nest oils that form the key notes, and it is this that dictates the quantities.
Warm and enveloping with an aromatic heart and a touch of spicy ginger, Root Of All Goodness is a celebration of Parterre's successful experiment in English grown vetiver. The composition revolves around aromatic tonalities of ciste labdanum and hyssop, enhanced by bergamot in the opening and the warm imprint of vetiver root and leather in the base. The vetiver, clary sage and hyssop in this fragrance were grown at Keynestone Mill in Dorset.
Root of All Goodness has top notes of bergamot, ginger and lemon; middle notes of clary sage, hyssop and labdanum; and base notes of amber, Dorset vetiver and leather. It is an eau de parfum, edp.
The Sniff: Root of all Goodness opens with a gorgeous and seductive ambery wallow, brightened and invigorated by the pirouetting bergamot, which prances around the slower, denser notes like a ballerina. Of all the Parterre fragrances, this feels like the most complex and accomplished, a leathery, spicy, citrus concoction which exhibits skilled craftsmanship and intrigue. There’s a lovely contrast between the lively, zesty citrus and the languid, unctuous resins underneath. The perfume is perfectly balanced between the two, one moment seeming more bright, and the next more comforting. A really compelling and wearable scent which shows facets of leather, lemon and a moreish woody undertone as it wears. It’s like putting on your favourite jumper on a crisp autumn day and heading outside protected from the cold. Lovely stuff! Root of all Goodness heads more towards the stereotypically masculine end of the perfume spectrum. The sillage of the scent was good, projecting to just beyond handshake distance. The longevity of the scent was moderate, lasting to around lunchtime before it faded. It did last significantly longer on a blotting paper though, so maybe it was just our skin that ate it up.
Basenotes: According to Wordforde Perfumers, "Root of all Goodness is probably the finest vetiver-styled fragrance on the market today." Well, that's clearly quite some claim given the number of acclaimed vetivers on the market. I will go so far as to say that ROAG is the best vetiver I have tried - and I've tried a few. The point of departure for Parterre is that they grow the key ingredients themselves. In this case, the vetiver is English vetiver - I know, who would have thought it! - grown on site in Dorset. We don't know exactly which ingredients are local, and which brought in, but one thing for sure that the label has brought in is French perfumer Jacques Chabert to put together the components into three scents, of which this is the most masculine. Another certainty is that ROAG just does it for me, period. The bergamot-vetiver-leather structure works as well as a three-act play. The vetiver has neither the aggressive astringency of Guerlain's vetiver, nor the sinister dankness of Encre Noire. Rather, it is textured and resinous, and perhaps more believably woody. A little bit of ginger creeps into the early stages, while the dry-down is accompanied by labdanum. ROAG also responds well to the volume control. A few sprays and it works like a masculine cologne. Heavier application ensures a presence for most of the day. It's never loud and won't appeal to many on the basis of performance, but this is not about brashness. Despite a certain rawness - I expect reformulation in some way if the label continues - this is English refinement done extremely well. The packaging is exquisite and includes an invitation for a tour of the Dorset farm. Amounts are very limited so I find it hard to recommend until I have a back-up bottle. One of the few fragrances I've ever tried that I would rave about.
