Eau Exotique is the latest fragrance release from Parfums de Nicolaï. The notes feature lime, petitgrain, sweet orange, cassis, mango, jasmine, vetiver, patchouli, cedar, and musk.

Eau Exotique opens with citrus and summer fruits. It smells green and sparkling, rather like a fruity summer cocktail. There is lots of mango and lime, and a hint of cassis, and it is beautifully balanced between sweet, bitter and tart notes. There is a whisper of jasmine in the dry down, no more, and a nice musky base. My old nemesis, patchouli, is very much under control, but with the vetiver provides a bit of earthiness and depth to what is otherwise a sheer, summery fragrance.

Eau Exotique is in the Eau Fraîche line, and so has neither the complexity nor the lasting power of some of the regular Parfums de Nicolaï scents for men and women, but it is a lovely fragrance from what I find to be one of the most consistently interesting niche houses around.

Parfums de Nicolaï Eau Exotique runs $60 for a 100 ml bottle. Update: it is now available in 30 ml travel bottles as well!

For buying information, see the listing for Parfums de Nicolaï under Perfume Houses.