No 80 > Men’s fragrances
by Louis Vuion
Unsurprisingly, of all the houses in
Grasse, France — the hilltop town
just north of Cannes renowned as the
spiritual home of perfumery — Louis
Vuitton’s is the most elegant. Tucked
behind a gate on an unassuming street,
the lush garden and simple exterior
of Les Fontaines Parfumées belies the
shimmering laboratory housed within,
the domain of master perfumer Jacques
Cavallier-Belletrud, one of the world’s
foremost noses, a fourth-generation
perfumer and a son of Grasse. Charged
with creating Louis Vuitton’s firstcollection of men’s fragrances, he’s
done a very fine job. There are five
scents, each unique and masculine:
L’Immensité is the most classically
“fresh” fragrance, with notes of
grapefruit, ginger and ambroxan, while
Au Hasard is richer and warmer with
sandalwood and cardamom. Esquire’s
choice, though, is Sur La Route, subtly
reminiscent of fragrant evenings on the
Riviera. How apt.Each £185/100ml;
louisvuion.com154 Words by Charlie Teasdale Photograph by Dan McAlister
Objects of Desire