Italian Red Rose Absolute Signature Gold

Adam Michael has this to say “Finally, after eight years in Italy, I have struck rose gold. An Indiana-Jones through to mad-scientist type producer has juiced a unique take on the rose damascena flower experience in absolute form. This is a dark, brooding, mature, brain-trippy, hypnotic experience that takes you on an entirely different rose-ride and shows you all of the underbelly and lost notes, that so many of us who have grown up on an industrial diet of Bulgarian and Turkish rose damascena absolutes will have never experienced.

The diffusion here is very good, with lots of warm vintage type rose notes exuding from the strip, infused with a goji berries and ripe plum melody, and sitting underneath I pick out green leaves, earth, warm hay and old wooden rose stem qualities. This is also very moody-rose-boozy if you sit inhaling from the strip, comparable to rose liquor with the addition of davana, a little Vin Santo and finished with some honeyed Jack Daniel nuances. What I notice about this rose is that it does not conform to what my brain registers as a regular damascena absolute at all. In pure form it’s almost black in colour and in the late heart I also pick out both cherry and liquorice notes. The dry down is thick powdery rose entwined with orris qualities. In dilution at 50% or 20% (sweeter), I find it takes a few minutes before the profile in pure form comes through properly.

If I had to find a comparable rose in our collection, then this reminds me a teeny tiny bit like our Bourbon crossed with cymossa trattt minus the spiced facets. At the same time though my brain registers pink and white lotus notes – those dry chalky crayola nuances seem to be here too from the mid and I imagine there would be a cross-over with rose water absolute if that was being produced.

To sum up, unique, one of a kind, zero pretty rose qualities, produced here in Tuscany, one for the fellow rose-heads, small limited production for 2025 without paperwork, and arguably tip-toeing into base note territory in this instance with 11 hours of wear on my skin type from a tiny swipe. One for the niche artisan perfume brands and or anyone wanting to stand out from the crowd, great with ouds, animalics, our Tuscan Olive Abs and those wanting to produce an all natural beast mode rose aromatic – although probably better suited and appreciated by experienced perfumers and those with a good knowledge of rose aromatics.

To finish I asked team members for visual impressions when inhaling this aroma. The answers are so different and I share with you here below –

One team member has said the picture this paints when inhaling the aroma in its early stages – reminds her of forest fruits and a night-time scene, pitch black, standing beside a lake. A lake that is lit up brightly by the light of the moon. And the moon is particularly big and the colour of the luminous lake is rose red.

At the same time our other team member perceives the opening aroma of this Tuscan rose absolute, as jammy fig marmalade type profiles with deep honeyed qualities swirling around, finishing with orris powdery and buttery aspects. And he sees himself sitting in the Tuscan hills on a summer’s afternoon having a picnic with his family.

The aroma for Eleonora is of an 18th century woman dressed in a green dress and silk glove, going about her day, in a melancholy scene of old.

This absolute is offered at 20% in 80% Organic TEC, 50% in 50% TEC and Pure.”