The bitter brilliance of Florentine Negronis, tantalising dryness of Venetian Prosecco and precise folds of Milanese tailoring – Italians do crisp better than most. None do crisp better than Ermenegildo Zegna though; the storied Italian sartorial house world-renowned for their exquisite and exotic textiles, elegant tailoring and refined casualwear.
Myself a customer of Ermenegildo Zegna, I know first-hand that in everything the brand tailors there exists an ubiquitous sense of quality; a phantom thread of luxurious eminence probably the result of the near-endless number of deft Italian hands that touch, feel, sort, select and stitch everything that displays the Ermenegildo Zegna label. Woven, designed and constructed to underscore a man’s elegance and style, garments are not the brand’s only wares to share this common thread of luxurious craftsmanship though. No, Ermenegildo Zegna also produces an immaculate collection of effortlessly refined fragrances, of which Italian Bergamot is one of the best.
Composed rather than woven and distilled instead of designed, Ermenegildo Zegna fragrances each share the core values rooted in the house’s strong tradition of family, integrity, quality and craftsmanship. And like the phantom thread inherent in the brand’s garments, the fragrances too share a common thread: Calabrian Bergamot. Harvested exclusively from a single citrus grove discovered by the Zegna family in Italy’s Calabria region, bergamot weaves its tart citrusy tendrils though all Zegna fragrances like an olfactory signature akin to the brand’s own pick-stitched label. In Italian Bergamot from the Ermenegildo Zegna Essenze Eau de Parfum collection, this signature bergamot note is showcased to maximum effect in all its bright, elegant glory.
True to my nose, Zegna’s own notes list for Italian Bergamot includes:
bergamot, pepper, neroli, rosemary, vetiver, tonka bean
As one might expect from a release named after its hand-picked star material, Italian Bergamot is a handsome and very natural bergamot fragrance. A spray of bright, zesty bergamot – a small, green-skinned and inedible citrus fruit grown solely for its essential oil – drives the composition from top to base, but in true Zegna fashion, the bergamot’s simplicity here is the result of a meticulous play on textural elements. First, the bergamot’s inherent, if very subtle, spicy character is played up with the inclusion of black pepper; then, amplifying bergamot’s citrus floralcy, neroli lends a hint of floral lushness and orange fruitiness that propels Italian Bergamot into acidulous, fresh, very nearly green territory. Later, the aromatic greenness of rosemary reveals itself to dispel any notion of a bath-fresh citrus tonic (think Tom Ford Neroli Portofino), before vetiver weaves its arid, airy tendrils to position Italian Bergamot firmly in the realm of classic Italian citrus colognes. Later in the drydown, a base of lush tonka bean deepens the composition with a coumarin accord reminiscent of a fresh-mown, sun-baked Piedmont field.
For all this play of texture though, Italian Bergamot is not a complex scent. What it is, is a fastidiously composed cologne in the Italian style, trimmed, polished and tailored to the exacting standards of Ermenegildo Zegna. Here, the classic all-too-familiar bergamot note of which we are so accustomed is deconstructed to its elemental parts, then recrafted to crisper, more refined result. Yes, bergamot colognes are a dime a dozen, but like the suits that built it an enviable reputation for being the best of the best, Zegna’s Italian Bergamot is better than its contemporaries. Very Italian. Very Classic. Brilliant.
Year of Release: 2012 before being reconcentrated in 2018
Perfumer: Pierre Negrin
Alternatives: Dolce&Gabbana Velvet Bergamot, Acqua di Parma Bergamotto di Calabria
Available: David Jones and www.zegna.com for $305, 100ml
Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.