What does millésime mean and why fragrance release year is important?

Perfumers and fragrance experts explain why the year of release is indicated on bottles, how limited collections come about, and what climate has to do with it.

Millésimes in winemaking and perfumery

Millésime refers to the year of ripening of the grape harvest from which the wine is produced. The term originated from the wine world and made its way into perfumery, although it is not very common and is primarily used in the niche perfumery world.

"The creation of fragrances for the limited series was our invention, and no one in perfumery had done it before. No one even attempted to take on the challenge of exploring the boundaries of new creations, thus limiting their potential to understand the great success embedded in the concept of the collection (Anniversary Collection). For us, this project represents one of the most vibrant expressions of artistic perfumery, where inspiration and creative ideas serve as the foundation for our work, rather than being driven by commercial considerations that hold the least interest for us," explains Paolo Terenzi, CEO of Cereria Terenzi and perfumer for the brands Tiziana Terenzi, Giardino Benessere, and V Canto.

"People have long been evaluating wine based on the year and region. Perfumers have come to the same idea, as they encountered unique flowers and unusual aromas. Burning with the desire to capture or create a special note, legends of the perfume business began to cultivate their own subspecies, acquire plantations, and wait for the flowering season on specific soil in order to release a limited but completely unique batch of perfume," adds Chantal Roos, perfumer and founder of the brand Roos & Roos.

For example, the house of Chanel acquired land in the Grasse, region on the French Riviera, where jasmine and May rose are grown for their legendary Chanel No. 5. Some perfumers emphasize the note and harvest year in the name of the fragrance. For instance, Fleur de Narcisse 2006 and Fleur d'Oranger 2005 by L'Artisan Parfumeur, Amarige Harvest 2005 by Givenchy, and Le Muguet Millésime 2016 by Guerlain.

Millésime fragrances are released in limited editions.

Most often, there is enough harvest for no more than 100,000 to 120,000 bottles. The brand Creed, under the term "millésime," implies a high concentration of quality essence, reaching 20-30%. "Undoubtedly, this can be mostly found in luxury or niche fragrances. Creating a millésime perfume requires expensive raw materials, which are sufficient only for a limited batch. Finding the perfect flower is not that easy, and replicating its scent is practically impossible. That is why perfumers, when creating such a perfume, started indicating the year, which multiplies the value of the fragrance," explains Chantal Roos.

To preserve the components and maintain a consistent fragrance, perfumers utilize their secret technologies. For instance, Thierry Mugler patented their own technique of ageing perfumes in wooden barrels. Initially, it was the fragrance Angel from the year 2007 aged in cherry wood barrels, and later Alien Liqueur de Parfum, matured in oak rum barrels.

Just like wines, fragrances vary from year to year.

Each ingredient is subject to the influence of nature. "Flower crops are affected by soil, region, plant care, and climatic conditions of the year. Roses, irises, jasmine, narcissus, tuberose, and vetiver are particularly susceptible," says Chantal Roos.

"For example, warm and arid seasons have different effects on the blooming of rose fields compared to humid and cold seasons. Nature provides different extracts. Each bottle is practically a unique and incomparable masterpiece of nature," explains Paolo Terenzi.

Fragrance experts mention that even a non-professional in perfumery can tell the difference in a fragrance from different years of release, while maintaining the same formula.

New formulas and flankers

"If there is a lack of necessary ingredients to replicate a successful fragrance, there are two scenarios: either the fragrance is discontinued, or the composition is changed while attempting to preserve the scent as much as possible."

"With each passing year, perfumery becomes more technologically advanced, making it nearly impossible to replicate the scent of the first harvest. Therefore, it is not excluded that some fragrances will be recreated using synthetic molecules. This can be a significant advantage, as many people may have allergies to natural oils. Synthetic molecules can help avoid this. However, in niche perfumery, the replication of notes is currently attempted by blending different ingredients," says Chantal Roos. "Additionally, flankers exist in both luxury and niche perfumery. The only difference is that they are better accepted in niche perfumery, as the approach to their creation is more thorough."

However, some experts believe that the reason for the endless number of flankers is often not due to a lack of certain ingredients. "Flankers are more associated with the functioning of the modern perfume world as a business, production costs, and other factors," they say.