Mona di Orio - Myrrh Casati

Picture: Marchesa Luisa Casati, (1881-1957)
Painting  1908 by Giovanni Boldino (1842-1931)
Wikimedia commons

Myrrh Casati is the first fragrance from nichehouse Mona di Orio created by another perfumer than Mona. After Monas untimely death in December 2011, the fragrances that was in line for release Rose Etoile de Hollande and Eau Absolue or the personal fragrance for Monas business partner Jeroen Oude Sogtoen Violette Fumeé, were launched. This difficult mission to compose the first non-Mona fragrance for the house of di Orio was given to perfumer Melanie Leroux. The new perfumes are launched in a subline called the Monogram Collection which also introduce new bottles and a new logotype for the Mona di Orio brand.

Myrrh Casati is inspired of the very wealthy eccentric italian early 20th century active Marchesa Luisa Casati, a musa for fashion and art. Myrrh is a timeless, dramatic and mysterious ingredient with ancient origins and therfore also maybe a tad eccentric.

Myrrh Casati starts transparent and in the higher octaves of the scale, a similar context as Serge Lutens beautiful La Myrrhe but with a slight spicy, smoky almost leathery addition. La Myrrhe is more of a pure myrrh perfume with the pronounced refreshing mushroomnote which lasts for a considerable time of the dry down, in Myrrh Casati the mushroomnotes last just for a while. In the middlenotes the licorice contribute to a sweet contrast to the very dry myrrhinterpretation of Myrrh Casati. There is also a smell of fresh loam and a quick glimpse of a drak green moisy moss and a quick passing note similar to pine needles. The licorienote is very well balanced and not as prominent as in Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires or Huiteme Art Myrrhiad. In the basenotes Myrrh Casati is deeper and the myrrh is surrounded by perfectly balanced spices, the cardamom and saffron are note detectable as separte notes, as also not the incense and patchouli. Everything is somehow perfectly balanced, restrained, elegant and wellbehaved.

Picture: Myrrh Casati in the new Mona di Orio flacon
Photo: PR Parfums Mona di Orio (c)

To me Myrrh Casati is calming and soothing, not recalling one of the Marchesas wild parties. The darker, denser and heavier Huiteme Art Myrrhiad would be more suitable in this context IMO. Insted it's recalling the same as Serge Lutens La Myrrhe a medival stonechapel, cold a bit moisty and mossy stone, with traces of the smell of balmy incense, myrrh and soft spices in the air.

Even if not original or not particularly distinctive from the other myrrhs mentioned in the post, the soothing and in the same time elegant qualities makes Myrrh Casati very attractive and wearable for many occasions year around. It's undoubtedly appropriate in style to join the perfumes created by Mona. Sillage is close and longevity over night. Not that I'm a specialist in perfume construction but to me, Myrrh Casati is better balanced then both Myrrhe et Delires and Myrrhiad. Finally I perceive it Myrrh Casati as a more restrained alternative to La Myrrhe.

Rating: 5

Notes: Red berries, pink pepper, cardamom, saffron, licorice, benzoin, myrrh, incense, patchouli, nagarmotha, guaiac wood