Our take
What does Escale à Pondichéry smell like?
Dior launched Escale à Pondichéry in May 2009. It was the second stop in the series, after Escale à Portofino. François Demachy drew on a trip to India and on the old French trading post of Pondicherry, home of the French East India Company in the 17th century. He built the scent on four materials. Cardamom opens with a peppery freshness lit by citrus. Jasmine sambac forms the heart, greener and fruitier than Grasse jasmine. Sandalwood serves as the base with a fairly loud white musk. Black tea extract is the common thread. You smell it from start to finish, like a forgotten cup on a sunny veranda. Compared with the citrusy Portofino, Pondichéry is softer and more floral. Some find the musk too synthetic at first, and they have a point.
When to wear it
For hot mornings and travel days. Spray it without thinking, on skin or on a linen shirt.
It belongs to the Citrus family. Escale à Pondichéry is one of 56 creations by Dior in our encyclopedia.
