BORTNIKOFF
COLOGNE de la terre

2022

PERFUMER
Dmitry Bortnikov

litsea cubeba
bergamot
pear

beeswax
green apple
saffron

sandalwood
ambergris
siberian deer musk

I feel like several of the Bortnikoff that I’ve tried this year smell like sweet citrus and Cologne de la Terre especially. Quite similar from memory to its Cologne Celeste sibling.

The opening especially is all candied sweet citrus to my nose. I smell more lemon than bergamot or pear here, quite strong and pungent. Another reviewer mentioned lemon detergent and I can’t say that I disagree.

Add to that a honeyed, but very candy-like sweetness and it ends up reminding me of lemon honey cough drops.

I do enjoy that this doesn’t get too dry, it definitely wears like a cologne, with good performance, which is the premise of this fragrance/collection.

However, the scent fails to amaze me. Containing a 3 year old tincture of grey -and gold ambergris and natural deer musk, I would expect something more from this. I get some ambergris vibes in the back and it’s overall pleasant, but the near extreme levels and type of lemon and candy scents clash with the idea of class and opulence that I was hoping for.