SAMPLE .. Guerlain, Double Extrait de Fleur d'Oranger, 'Double Extract of Orange Blossom', DECANTED SAMPLE from Flacon Carre, Parfum, 1902,

The House of Guerlain is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. It was founded in 1828 when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened up his first perfume store on 42, Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

Pierre-Francois composed and manufactured custom perfumes with the help of his two sons, Aime & Gabriel. His unique approach was to personalize perfume for a specific person, place or event. Honore de Balzac commisioned his own eau de toilette during the writing of Cesar Birotteau, and the periodical La Sylphide, le Journal des Elegances, scented each issue with a different fragrance by Guerlain.

Guerlain catered to the high society of Paris, and obtained a very loyal following. The perfume house was so successful that Guerlain decided to open a flagship store at 15, Rue de la Paix in Paris in 1840. The house was at its peak in 1853 with it's fragrance Eau de Cologne Imperiale. This perfume gained Guerlain the prestigious title of His Majesty's Official Perfumer of France. This in turn led him to create perfumes for other royals such as Queen Victoria of England, the Empress Sissi of Austria, the Queen of Belgium and Queen Isabella of Spain as well as other crowned heads of royalty.

Pierre-Francois passed away in 1854 and his sons inherited the perfume house. Aime became the master perfumer, a tradition that would be upheld for the next master perfumer in lineage. Gabriel managed and further expanded the house.

Created in 1904, this extraordinary perfume smells absolutely beyond wonderful. It is like pure orange blossom and neroli, doubled. Whenever an old Guerlain has either 000 (Triple Zero) or Double, it means that the extrait contains a double concentration of the essential oils. A small amount of this perfume leaked into the baudruche or onion skin during shipment from France, and it smells so beautiful, like being in a room full of orange blossoms, and it is also slightly oily, suggesting the high concentration of essential oils from Grasse.

Referring to a modern take on the gorgeous old perfume, I found these comments .. "To celebrate the 190th anniversary of Guerlain's creation, Thierry Wasser, Maître Parfumeur de la Maison, has focused on orange blossom. The Guerlain site announces orange, orange blossom and almond in top notes, but they mark the evolution of the perfume. Orange blossom and orange are associated with resinous and woody notes. Benzoin appears in many such scents, because it is an excellent fixative with a vanilla and suave side, which contains, in addition, caramelized facets, honeyed and toasted, the latter reminiscent of the grilled almonds."

"Guerlain’s Double Extrait de Fleurs d’Oranger is certainly a powerhouse of orange in all its forms, flower, leaf, twig and fruit peel. These are beautifully balanced, taking their turns emanating from the bottle or your skin. That marvelously dry accent of Petitgrain, extracted from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree, add the proper counter point to the richness of the orange flower and peel. These are supported by almond, coumarin, benzoin, sandalwood, musk and vanilla, but sparingly, these bringing a roundness and powdery effect to the orange mixture.

Not being satisfied with the creation itself, Guerlain doubled the amount of oils used. Recall that hygiene in 1902 was not what it is today, the world bathing rarely but using sponges soaked in scented water to remove unpleasant body oils and odors, so this doubling of oils was perhaps more practical than showy. All in all a splendid evocation of orange in all of its aspects. Rarer than hen’s teeth, decants are still available from internet sellers. If you love the scent of orange, do seek it out." Basenotes Review. Jack Twist

Notes may include Bergamot, Orange Flowers, Orange Peel, Almond, Coumarin, Benzoin, Sandalwood, and Vanilla (Thierry Wasser)

Offered here is the opportunity to purchase an absolutely stunning and ultra rare decant of this most beautiful Orange Flower perfume. It is beyond description. I can hardly bear to part with this masterpiece, but am putting it out there in decants for the connoisseurs so that all may try it. Highly desirable .. utterly beautiful !