Anat Fritz- Tzora

The first perfume from German knitwear designer Anat Fritz (simply named Anat Fritz) came out six years ago and I was instantly smitten with its dry blend of lavender and cedar. I got a bottle soon after which is now about half empty despite complete lack of cooperation by the husband (see also what The Blond had to say about it in his little scented memoir). Now comes the second fragrance from this designer (composed by perfumer Geza Schoen), Tzora, and once again I want to bathe in it.

Tzora is named after an Israeli kibbutz where Anat Fritz spends summer vacation. The area is linked with biblical Samson and Delilah and is rich in typical Mediterranean herbs and shrubbery, with their dusty and dry aroma. Tzora the fragrance is a crisp and peppery affair. It almost jumps at you with its bright and  herbal zing-- when I say herbal these aren't tender greens but sage-colored and a bit baked in the sun. The pepper and woods have an incensy flavor that counteracts the almost bitter and dry flavor with a slight sweetness (there's also some patchouli there, lending its depth and earthiness to the blend). It feels and smells like a cool afternoon breeze that clears the air as it blows gently along the sunny hillside.

Anat Fritz's Tzora is not the only perfume I know that evokes this landscape. There's Diptyque L'Eau Trois, MPG Garrigue, and to an extent even Bois d'Ombrie by Eau d'Italie (see also this post about the scents of the Mediterranean). What Tzora offers through the chypre structure and thumbprint is  a sense of an easygoing lightness and joy, like a true vacation. I suspect that it comes from the decidedly "pretty" floral heart. I can't say that I detect the very specific notes of magnolia, osmanthus, and jasmine, but I smell their abstract presence. I enjoy it very much.

Notes: cassis, clary, bergamot, Peruvian pepper, magnolia, osmanthus, jasmine, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouly, musk, moss.

Anat Fritz- Tzora ($130, 100ml EDP) is available from Luckyscent. The store supplied the free sample for this review.

Photo: a view of Kibbutz Tzora as seen from the ancient location of Beit Shemesh via Wikipedia.
Art: needle work depicting Tzora by Dina Maymon.
Fashion photograph: Anat Fritz summer lookbook.