Annick Goutal created Sables¹ over 30 years ago, and I’m happy to be the one reviewing it here (at long last). Goutal used the shrublands of Corsica, one of her favorite vacation spots, as inspiration for Sables, whose main ingredient, immortelle (Helichrysum italicum), grows naturally there and is also planted on farms for use by companies such as L’Occitane. Sables was a gift for Goutal’s beloved husband, the cellist Alain Meunier; they had met and fallen in love as young music students, then drifted apart for decades before meeting again and marrying. (Grand Amour is another Goutal creation that pays homage to their life together.) Sables represents a perfumer’s love for a place and a man…très romantique.

Sables was one of the first niche fragrances I bought (and I’ve owned many bottles over the years). I’ve not smelled Sables in a long time (from a new bottle, that is) and was almost afraid to sniff it after smelling the recently re-released, tweaked (and scoured) Annick Goutal Eau de Monsieur….

Read the rest of this article »