Created by Christian Louis for his French indie line Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque, Espelette was launched in 2007. The fragrance was inspired by piment d’Espelette, a mild red pepper grown in the northern Basque Country. Once valued for its medicinal uses, it’s now a condiment that has become one of the defining flavours of Basque cooking, seasoning everything from everyday dishes to the region’s most traditional specialties. On me, it opens with spicy, dry black pepper that opens my nose. It’s not the heat I expected, but a warm, tickly sensation I find appealing. As it settles, a crisp, zesty edge of Sichuan pepper comes forward, giving the opening a tingling, slightly metallic excitement. As it blooms, cardamom, bright and fresh, cools the warmth, allowing a note of velvety, sensuous peach to come forward. It’s soon joined by creamy, floral Ylang-Ylang. The Ylang-Ylang has a spicy facet that echoes the peppers at the top and leads to a base of patchouli, which is herbal and camphoraceous at first, before becoming woody and warm. Creamy, warm sandalwood complements the patchouli with a vanilla cozy, rich sweetness. Musk anchors it all, creating a soft, sensuous feeling. Notes: Pepper, Sichuan pepper, cardamom, peach, Ylang-Ylang, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, and musk.
