I first tried Bottega Veneta Pour Homme months ago, thought it was decent, but sort of filed it away in my mind as 'come back to one day'. I remember writing a few notes about it, jotted down hastily on a scrap of paper, which I came across the other day when I was clearing a drawer at my work.
I can't say that I have worn it a lot since then, but based on my thoughts at the time, this perfume struck me as being quite peppery, with a hint of pine and an element of soapiness, but not overbearingly so. The pepper is not anywhere near as intense as say Frederic Malle's Noir Epices, for example. There is a spicy edge to it, smoothed by what I perceive as possibly nutmeg or even cardamom, but when I say edge, it is really quite smooth.
The fragrance is surprisingly light on my skin as it moves into its heart and dry down. I can sense more of a leathery note emerging and at this stage the spice and pepper has almost completely faded. If this is leather, it is definitely not animalic or forceful. In the dry down Bottega Veneta sweetens a little and there is more of a leathery presence, with perhaps a hint of patchouli, and a return of light, slightly dusty spice.
Now that I've written this, I've looked up the notes, which according to Fragrantica include Calabrian bergamot, pine, juniper, Jamaican pepper, fir resins, clary sage, labdanum, leather and patchouli. Anyone reading this will probably think I'm fibbing, and that I read the note before jotting down my thoughts, but I honestly didn't!
Overall, I think this is a good perfume, particularly for the mainstream, but personally I would have liked a bit more of a prickle; an edge. Nevertheless, it is well done.
Image credit: http://www.dmarge.com/
