Sables Goutal
Sables by Goutal is a Oriental Woody fragrance for men. Sables was launched in 1985. The nose behind this fragrance is Annick Goutal. Top notes are Immortelle and Cinnamon; middle notes are Pepper and Black Tea; base notes are Sandalwood and Amber.
Sables EDT available at a price – 4 EUR/ml.
It is hard to try and be more objective about a perfume, which is your first serious perfume to approach consciously; which contains one of your favorite notes – immortelle; and when this perfume has been gifted to you by someone you held very dear. But I will try.
“Sables” is a representation of perfumery as alchemical art. We can quote and discern notes, or we can relate experiences. The end result will – or should – be the same. It is true, that “Sables” is dominated by the immortelle note… or is it? It almost feels like this impression is but an illusion, created to keep away those, who cannot appreciate what is really going on inside “Sables”. And yes, this makes “Sables” a difficult perfume. And it is not a question of being confident to wear it, or not. This is never the question. The question is just whether you love what you wear or not, and if you do – confidence follows naturally or, more precisely, is not even an issue. There is something about “Sables” that evokes a visceral reaction of acceptance or rejection, although it might take some time to understand that this has been so from the very beginning. But I completely understand why it is too much – or too little for that matter – for some people.
For me “Sables” was love from first scent. It interflows the energies of liquor, desert sand and deep forest all at once! Pure magic. The alchemical process requires to mix a very aged cognac, desert sand from the starry night on summer solstice and during full moon (this is rare!) and a few grains of salt. Then heat the ingredients until they blend. And then travel back to a forest in Languedoc and go deep into it at sunset. Slowly drink a little of the alchemical liquor, and at the same time deeply breath in the forest air.
If the above it too much for you, we can simplify matters and say that “Sables” most closely approximates a heavy amber oriental scent. But it wouldn’t do justice to perceive it only as such. It is no wonder that there are so many diverse, at times conflicting, reactions and descriptions in the reviews of this perfume. That says a lot about its quality and complexity.
The opening is an immortelle-cinnamon fusion, which later subsides into a sandalwood-pepper fusion, which finally turns into a meta-fusion of the two previous phases with an amazing bonus of added salt! Almost undetectable, just a few grains. The alchemy is complete and stays with you as a warm caress on your soul and as a tender whisper on your skin for long. And if only that first phase was less impactful/heavy and more balanced on the immortelle, this fragrance would have been close to perfection…
I must say I find it remarkable how appealing the sandalwood is here, which is not only due to the higher quality used (mysore), but also to the pepper, which imparts a certain austerity to the sandalwood, ennobling what is otherwise a plush and banal note to say the least. Yet another reason to be thankful to this perfume for redeeming the potential of sandalwood, which I don’t recall being able to tolerate in any other perfume – when it is so prominent, that is. And it is this austerity of the sandalwood through the pepper, which prevents “Sables” from becoming gourmand. It is also this mysterium coniunctionis between those two notes that produces the salt, imparting the composition with hidden inner subtlety.
Finally, just as a very aged liquor, “Sables” is to be tasted very rarely and, as experience shows, best in solitude. And, well, if you happen to be blessed enough to wear it in the evening, under the blossoming lime trees after a spring shower (what happened with me yesterday) – stay silent in an inner smile of gratitude.
If you decide to see what “Sables” has to offer you – don’t rely on a couple of visits to test it in the store. Best order or get a small sample vial, give it time and spend time with it alone. This is not a perfume you can assess easily or quickly.
And I can’t help but wonder in longing what the original formula was like, if it is indeed true that oakmoss was in the base…
PS: The review is for a 2015-2016 version of “Sables” (the bottles were still in that awesome square shape back then).
Composition: 8.5/10
Complexity: 8/10
Development: 7.5/10
Naturality: 7.5/10
