Carner Barcelona D600

Virginian cedar opens cleanly and a little dry, almost pencil-shaving sharp before the vetiver threads in underneath — smoky, rooty, grounding the whole thing without turning murky. The Madagascan vanilla absolute doesn't arrive sweet so much as smooth, rounding the cedar's edges and giving the vetiver a faintly creamy finish rather than an earthy one. Projection is restrained, medium sillage that stays close to skin by the second hour. The dry-down is the best part: a warm, woody haze that lasts. — Cool-weather evenings, or anyone who wants a grown-up vanilla that never reads as dessert.