Ginepro Nero / Black Juniper
L'Erbolario

Ginepro Nero by L'Erbolario (2016) has been cited across the internet as a "poor man's Terre d'Hermès (2006)" and it's very easy to see why. L'Erbolario is an Italian health and beauty brand that typically sells cosmetics and toiletries that have accompanying alcohol perfumes, with Ginepro Nero being one such line that also spreads out into soaps, shampoos, and such. Therefore, it's less important to label this stuff as the clone of Terre d'Hermès it seems to be, and more important to see it as an option for someone who loves that scent and wishes it had a full line of grooming and bathing options. Designers are historically very fickle with such extended product ranges, and if introduced, tend to be sold just for a number of years if at all before they become rarer than hen's teeth, even if the fragrance itself is still on shelves.

For this reason, Ginepro Nero (which is also sold under the name Black Juniper in export markets) can be a bonus to someone that enjoys Terre d"Hermès, even if they never own the proper Ginepro Nero perfume itself. If you do take the rather inexpensive plunge on a 100ml or 50ml of the proper scent, you'll discover a darker, less-earthy, more-woody, and indeed juniper-infused take on the structure. Bitter orange/bigarade in there to join the familiar grapefruit and vetiver tandem, the speck of dirt in Terre d'Hermès replaced with the astringent juniper, more geranium, and some additional resins that fill in the role dry spice filled in the Hermès. Lacking the big blast of Iso E Super that Jean-Claude Ellena's masterwork had, some may notice a lack of transparency and projection here. Iso E isn't exactly expensive, so this likely isn't a cost thing, just a style thing.

Since this fragrance mostly lives as a snapshot of the top notes in Terre d'Hermès, before pulling it's neat geranium and juniper trick on you, Ginepro Nero wears much lighter, and feels like it was meant as a finishing touch on top all the grooming range products you're likely to use before putting this on. Worn by itself and on its own merits, this is a cheap but cheerful alternative to a high-profile and increasingly-expensive designer fragrance that may be a better choice for people cash-strapped to take on, since even a bottle of Ginepro Nero at retail is at least half the price of Terre d'Hermès at discount. Spending just a bit more gets you some really interesting alternatives that actually experiment more with this structure, like JB by Jack Black (2010) which is different enough to be a true competitor, not just a "me too". One again, the real value here is the full range of products offered. Thumbs up

A very good, low-cost aromatic with strong Italian credentials. A terrific way to spend the last 25 Euros of holiday money at Lake Garda last year. Looking back at old threads in heritage Basenotes, I can see myself complaining about the additional expenditure involved in buying it in from continental Europe (no doubt the B word implicated in this), so I think I made the right decision.

The scent itself: described as an "airy Terre d'Hermes" in that old thread, and it's as good a description as any I've found. It is lighter than Terre, which I like but sometimes feels a little oppressive on my skin. Here, there is a freshness that dries down to a light wood, persistent without ever getting in the way. This is an outdoors fragrance in the same way that Bottega Veneta PH is. Good as a brainless spray on a warmer day, but I also think well of those who like it. Not massively complex and you can see where money has been saved on packaging, but as juniper and orange, and then a touch of resin and wood goes, the value for money is excellent.

Favorably comparable to Terre d'Hermes' Citrusy-Woodsiness, without the toxic levels of Molecule 1.

L'Erbolario Ginepro Nero: in the same league as Terre d'Hermes (GN is less earthy-incensey and more humid), Montale Red Vetyver (more vetiver-oriented and powdery) and Rouge Bunny Rouge Tundra (which is more misty and indecifrable) Ginepro Nero explores the "deep forest's muskiness-theme". Juniper berries, vetiver, fir resins and earthy patchouli overall merged in to an enchanted mossy-damp atmosphere of the northern lands' wild woods. Earthy, hesperidic, humid, musky, peppery, woody-salty, cedary and boise, this L'Erbolario's creation is a quite dignified (finally urban, dry, virile and casual) alternative to far more expensive market-tigers. Thumbs up.