FRAGRANCE | Richwood Parfum by Xerjoff is a masterclass in balance, restraint, and elegance

 

Xerjoff Richwood Parfum is one of those fragrances I never would have expected to own. While there's been much love surrounding it, there's also been some hate towards it, primarily because of its absurd price tag. Naysayers would cry that it's overpriced but I won't comment on that because for me that's subjective. I'm just happy to have lucked out on a bottle that's still practically full.

I'm not well-versed with the variations of this fragrance but the Richwood that I have is a numbered edition batch released as part of the XJ 17/17 Stone Label Collection. It's in a parfum concentration whereas the ones I see online now are EDPs. Whatever all this entails, I guess I'm even luckier. Each bottle from this collection features a hand-cut semiprecious stone. For Richwood, it's Kalahary Petersite stone, whatever that is. The box, on the other hand, is wrapped in white snakeskin pleather (I presume). Inside is a ruffled satin cushioning for the bottle and a gold-plated metal sheet with the batch number handwritten in ink.

The fragrance opens with a very smooth patchouli, its raw earthiness completely glossed over. While I do love a dirty patchouli like in Diptyque's Tempo, for instance, I also enjoy a cleaned-up treatment like this just the same. I think it elevates patchouli from its unfair hippie association to something posh and elegant like Chanel Coromandel.

Accompanying the patch is a medley of citruses to brighten things up sans any stinging sharpness. A soft, velvety rose is likewise already present, slowly but steadily blanketing the field with its presence. It does not dominate, however, its strength instantly capped at a certain level. Its interplay with the patch and citruses is just perfectly smooth. It's simply on a whole new level as far as rose and patchouli scents go.

After a few more minutes, the fragrance's woody facet gradually enters the picture. Just like the rose's entrance, it slides in slowly and gracefully. There are no abrupt movements here, as everything exudes a certain finesse. Nothing is too loud either. Every note is carefully controlled, so even when the scent starts going in a creamy direction, it stops at a certain point. And because it does not go on full creamy, the scent is never too thick and heavy, making it very wearable in warm weather. The ensuing sweetness from the vanilla is also just about right while the patch now provides a mildly contrasting, dry sharpness.

I have no idea how Mysore sandalwood smells like, so I can't say whether it's exactly the sandalwood I smell here. What I can say, though, is that it's not overly creamy as Affinessence's Santal-Basmati, nor does it have that dry, pencil shavings vibe of Diptyque's Tam Dao. As with everything else at play in Richwood, it errs on the side of subtlety instead of harping it up.

Even though Xerjoff Richwood is an exercise in restraint, projection is really good. It's not monstrous by any means but it's very noticeable. Needless to say, longevity is unquestionable. Many fragrances with similar scent profiles have come before this but Richwood is so beautifully done. This is a fragrance that deftly displays balance and control, and the result is a mesmerizing elixir that exudes nothing but pure class. For me it really merits a try but its restrictive pricing sadly makes it nothing more than an aspiration for most.