VERONIQUE GABAI
CAP D’ANTIBES
2019
Sea Notes
Floral Notes
Pine Tree
Bergamot
Wood resin
Cedarwood
‘The scent of vacation and of nature in all its glory. The freshness of the bergamot, the aromatic and balsamic Alep trees, the cedar woods, the breeze of the ocean, the airy bloom of fresh flowers, resin going through the wood signature. Cap d’Antibes is an invitation to discover the dry and shady gardens of Southern France.’ – Veronique Gabai
I’ve been to the West coast of France several times (and to the South coast when I was younger) and this fragrance takes me back there. I’d go as far as saying that Cap D’Antibes is one of the most transporting fragrances in my collection. It’s absolutely my favorite of the Gabai’s I’ve tried at the time of writing.
You get a strong cedar smell, which is most prominent throughout the fragrance. There’s also alep, which is a Mediterranean pine tree. Aside from that I get a hint of citrus throughout, like an orange zest, but in a subtle way. Cedarwood, already having an almost ‘wet’, modern quality to me, is made more aquatic here with the addition of a sea breeze accord.
It’s subtle, so don’t expect an all out aquatic, mineral, ambergris like scent, just a hint of an airy sea side atmosphere. There’s brightness from the bergamot up front and it’s overall quite a fresh fragrance, though not per se Summer-y. It’s definitely suitable for warm weather, because it’s more of a ‘cold’ scent to me, it doesn’t have the ‘warm skin’ vibe that some sea breeze accords portray.
I don’t picture the beach when I smell Cap D’Antibes, rather a forest patch a bit further inland. It reminds me of parking at a rest stop for a final stop, when nearing the destination and already smelling the ocean air and feeling the anticipation of being in a different environment from home. There is quite some sweetness, which reminds me of ambroxan. Watery sweet.
It feels like a really natural smelling cedarwood to me, so the use of their high quality ingredients is definitely paying off. Whether that’s worth it for you will depend on what you’re looking for. If you just want a good smelling cedar scent, there are cheaper options and Cap d’Antibes will not offer you the best bang for buck, so it might overshoot it’s mark. For the connoisseur or people with an extensive collection, this could be a real gem, that offers an elevated experience from what you might already know or own.