A Full Review for Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir

It is needless to introduce Francis Kurkdjian to an already fragrance lover, but for those unacquainted, he is one of the greatest perfumers of all time. Among his creations are Baccarat Rouge 540 EDP and the Extrait versions, which I personally regard as the greatest perfume ever created, Le male, Ultra male, Narciso Rodriguez for him and many other hit wonders in the perfume world. Francis is also the owner of Maison Francis Kurkdjian which is one of the greatest houses in Niche perfumery, known for their super pure components and their genuine creations.

One of Kurkdjian’s greatest creations is our guest of honor, Grand Soir. It is a warm, spicy, ambery and oriental fragrance which made history in 2016. Upon release, it was considered by many, including me, as the greatest amber fragrance ever created. The structure and note breakdown of Grand Soir is pretty simple, yet the complexity and sophistication of the perfume is infinite.

Grand Soir plays host to the following notes: Tonka beans from Brazil and Venezuela, Amber accord which is basically based on vanillin (The primary component of vanilla) and cistus labdanum which gives the warm spicy feel to the fragrance, along with resinous Benzoin.

The amber here is not at all your typical amber, so do not expect to smell Amouage’s opus 6 or Histoires de Parfums Ambre 114. The amber here is a sweet vanillic amber that would melt your heart with warmth. Also, a point worth mentioning here is that the dry down of the fragrance is heavenly, as the sweetness of the vanilla takes the lead and the resinous feel of the benzoin lingers, creating the perfect combo.

Grand Soir has super longevity and sillage. I usually have to decide at the beginning of the winter season which coat I am going to use Grand Soir on since it will smell of Grand Soir all season. The projection is good too but not in par with the great longevity and sillage, which I think is also great so as not to offend anybody.

The perfume works great in intimate situations and your partner will always want to get closer to sniff more of Grand Soir. The perfume is relatively a winter perfume and can be pulled off by men and women. It is one of the best-crafted fragrances out there, and debatably the greatest Amber perfume created.

Images Credit: johnlewis