Scents & Sounds: D:SOL MMXVI

Mediterranean nostalgia, bottled

From a citrus scent reminiscing about a time ‘when oranges were traded like gemstones’, to one celebrating the Cistus ‘rock rose’ of the Mediterranean, D:SOL MMXVI aims to create fragrances that step beyond evoking only a location, instead capturing feelings, nostalgia, and human connection to the Mediterranean region.

With an initial launch in 2020, Berlin’s Dennis Werner aims to create a line of fragrances that are ‘selective but not elitist.’ With ingredients sourced in Grasse, France, and bottle and packaging production taking place entirely in Europe by small manufacturers, the brand demonstrates that the dedication toward connecting the fragrances to the region extends beyond simply how they smell.

So far, the brand has collaborated with two perfumers — Marie Urban Le Febvre, who was behind Tesoro, Herbes, Terram, and Sombra; and Delphine Thierry, who created Cistus. There are plans to collaborate with other perfumers in the future as well.

After recently sampling (and quickly buying) a bottle of Tesoro, I circled back to sample the rest of the line and wanted to share some thoughts, as well as songs that I feel capture a bit of the feeling of the fragrances, to me.

NOTE: I am not sponsored nor did I receive any sort of compensation to write this. All opinions are my own.

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Tesoro

Meant to capture the Sóller ‘valley of oranges’ on Mallorca, I imagine a warm breeze blowing from the Mediterranean, carrying the light scent of orange trees and light undertones of leather (Mallorca is also quite famous for leatherwork, especially Inca).

In the base is a very soft, airy leather — maybe one of the most airy leathers I’ve ever encountered — with a warm, sunkissed musky (almost creamy) citrus on top that blooms so beautifully in warmer weather. For fans of citrus notes who want something less bright and more reflective and interesting, this is a winner.

I used my entire sample of this in two days (which I rarely ever do with samples), so it was a clear sign to pick this one up!

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Sombra

This release is the start of a series oud fragrances, this one featuring the classic oud and rose pairing, but with a unique perspective. Slightly tweaked after the initial batch to rebalance the ingredients slightly, this ‘new’ edition is quite sensual. This is sexy, but in a restrained way: a peek at a midriff while someone reaches for something; eye contact and a smile from across a room.

The imagery around this release focuses on an embrace of lovers under the fall of night. Seduction. There’s a fresh burst of citrus, pepper, bright florals in the opening that quickly fades like the setting sun, making way for a dark, spicy rose note that takes center-stage for about half an hour. At this point, the oud starts to really shine through and the fragrance gets a bit more intimate.

I don’t normally care for rose in fragrances since it can be a bit overwhelming to me, but the execution here is really quite beautiful. While initially out of the sample I wasn’t sure what to make of it, it’s quickly become a favorite from the set. A relatively restrained rose & oud. I have nothing remotely similar to this in my collection and would enjoy owning this one at some point.

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Terram

A fragrance that looks to capture the coming of autumn, with sappy conifers, mossy underbrush, and benzoin-forward ‘amber.’ Opening with a peppery freshness that feels cohesive across much of this line, an intoxicating very lightly ‘fruity’ pine and cedar accord emerges, before later drying down to quite dry heartwood.

It only takes an hour or two to progress fully on my skin (though it lingers for a good 4-6 hours). It’s a much slower process on clothes, so I would likely spray both to have a nice layed experience. I found this quite beautiful, and it made me think immediately of very early autumn when the weather is still warm but the vegetation is beginning to shift. A solo walk through the woods through fallen pine needles and dry, crumbling leaves, crunching with each step…

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Herbes

Meant to capture the scent of the liqueur “Hierbas de Mallorca,” an herbal drink featuring anise and a host of other aromatics, produced for over 500 years on Mallorca. The liqueur was traditionally used to treat various ailments (usually digestive), but continues to be enjoyed by locals even today.

This opens with a burst of citrus, mint, and anise, drying down to a creamy sandalwood base. This is, as expected, quite herbal, though it’s also quite light. For me, this one wore the lightest of the whole line. Complex!

I imagine sitting at a long dinner table outdoors in at dusk, string lights just turning on. Dinner has come and gone, and I’m sipping on a glass of Hierbas de Mallorca and listening in on conversation. Like this one a lot!

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Cistus

In reverence of the Cistus plant, Delphine Thierry’s first creation for D:SOL MMXVI seeks to paint a picture of the flower, the plant, and the earth from which it came. A variety of cistus is actually the source of the resin labdanum, with the ‘cistus absolute’ coming from the whole of the plant — more green and floral.

All of the other notes here mostly enhance or softly compliment the cistus notes, with the dry down giving a bit of an earthy base to the fragrance, much like the soil it grows from. Very interesting and quite unique!

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Wrapping up…

It’s pretty rare these days that I enjoy an entire line enough where I’d be happy to own them all, and I have to say D:SOL MMXVI’s releases so far have hit the mark.

There is a through-line through much of this house of creating complex, original scents but keeping them polite and buttoned-up. None of these are ‘beast mode’ trendy fragrances, instead opting for more intimate scent bubbles that encourage self-reflection and intimacy, exploring nostalgia both experienced and imagined.

Whether new to fragrance or fairly seasoned, there’s something that I think almost everyone can enjoy.