Ambre Précieux
Maître Parfumeur et Gantier (1988)

Amber from beginning to end. This isn't the dirty animalic amber of Creed's 'Real English Leather', or the spicy and slightly cloying amber of Montale's 'Blue Amber', or the heavy sappy amber in Annick Goutal's 'Ambre Fétiche'. Here the amber is comforting and rich but never excessive. I don't get the lavender until 20 minutes in, but when it arrives it just sits alongside for the ride, for some considerable time. Here we have a fragrance that bears a lot of similarities with Creed's 'Royal Scottish Lavender' but quite a bit more smooth, and I would say more balanced and wearable.

I appreciate amber for its ability to stretch out a fragrance, but often I find it just too opppresive, and ultimately sickening, Ambre Précieux is never either. I really, really like this.

Considered one of the standard-bearers of amber fragrance, MPG Ambre Precieux is dry, powdery, intoxicating creation with less of a labdanum-heavy amber accord, trading it for tolu balsam and peru balsam.

Tolu balsam, from the Myroxylon balsamum tree, is a balsamic resin with cinnamic, somewhat floral character, used to great effect in the classic Estee Lauder Cinnabar, for which there are similarities between it and AP. In the same family of trees, Myroxylon balsamum is the tree from which Peru Balsam is derived, and while Tolu is more cinnamic, is more an earthy, rich, vanillic resin, ever tenacious and deep. With both combined, an amber of epic proportions results here.

It opens with bergamot, lavender, and what seems to be myrtle (a somewhat camphoraceous, herbal, floral scent) and it's quite the fanfare with the vanilla and myrrh undertow soon approaching. Myrrh and vanilla counterpoint each other quite wonderfully: an ebb and flow of bitter and sweet. This is classical amber, and would appeal to those who gravitate to perfume with classical sensibility. It is at once opulent as it comfy and nuzzle-worthy. A plush and winsome delight that I am fortunate to have in my possession.

This is my favorite cologne so far.

It is rich, warm, sensual, cozy amber. There's a tiny bite of floral lavender, a wee bit of incense from the myrrh, very mild spices - but the absolute star of the show here is the amber. To me this is an absolute masterpiece.

When first applied, it is sweet and only very slightly floral. Almost immediately, it becomes slightly spicy and gourmand from the nutmeg note, and the amber begins to blossom.

The drydown is exquisite - rich and creamy and delicious. If someone hugs you while you are wearing this, they will not let you go.

Finally, it settles into a delirious amber haze, powdery, hints of baby powder but not at all medicinal or unpleasant. And this stays on my skin all day. I have smelled it on myself the next day, even after a shower. It's got staying power.

And with a scent this dreamy, that's a good thing. This is the fragrance that has set my personal bar for all amber scents going forward, and really all scents in general.

A masterpiece. I only wish I could afford a full bottle on a regular basis. It would absolutely be my signature scent.

Ambre Precieux is a sultry cabaret singer with a deep voice setting on the piano with her red sequin gown,high slit,and even redder lipstick,looking something like Rita Hayworth or Anita Ekberg.no doubt there are many good amber fragrance in the market,but this can be considered an amber reference to be comparable with any other by the high level of expensive and complexity in implementation.I am a wary of ambers that can get too sweet or too gourmandish,but i love ones that are more balsamic an smokey or herbal,like Ambre Sultan,Ambre Aurea,Ambre Fétiche, etc.and this definitely seems closer to those types although a bit more vanilla-y.

It is cozy,comfortable,easy to wear,but still spicy and elegant and not super sweet.i love the spicy nutmeg and lavender opening as well it has that herbal/spiciness to it.this is amber wrapped in vanilla.there are lots of vanilla,myrrh and tolu balsam in the background.but still the main player is amber.the amber here is very cuddly and warm.there also is almost a powdery effect to this fragrance,but it is more of a hint rather than the wallop many powder accords pack.an amber fragrance for people who find them too heavy or cloying-the amber here is more of a concept.absolutely delicious.

Amber is one of my favorite flavors of fragrance and this one is up there among my favorites...as soon as it opens there is no doubt that this is an amber fragrance...as it starts out the lavender does give it a slightly barbershop feel, but to me, this quickly goes away...a ton of adjectives can be used to describe this scent...rich , opulent , smooth , deep , warm , luxurious and dry...has a relaxing and dreamy quality...just a slight touch of a powdery effect - but not the smell of powder - more of a nose feel...old furniture made of fine wood...the balsams add a nice touch...big fan of those...smooths down to a nice long ride of vanilla and amber.....great stuff...

Do not expect a powerful amber. This great work of delicacy explores its sweetest (precious) facet. Although it is not my favorite, its complexity, the refinement (that is the word) of this baroque perfume makes it a worthy possibility for an elegant and extroverted appearance.
The usually edible character of amber is surrounded here by light pink, green and blue tones. Mellow, of a feminine orientality. Very beautiful.

Very nice scent, don't need much to create that 12" scent envelope. Honest amber/woods/vanilla palate that doesn't take itself too seriously. A friendly scent, excellent for spring and summer.

This is much more ambery on me than the Ambre Dore, which I tried recently. The lavender and nutmeg are right there at the opening, along with a slightly dusty, woody note. This seems more unisex that the Ambre Dore – it's a bit spicier, but still a lovely, warm amber scent. I like it, but alas, it seems that this is another scent that my skin eats – it seemed to disappear after only a few hours. Beautiful while it lasted though.

Ambre Precieux is an honest, solid amber composition that is a good representation of this genre. It opens up on the skin with a brisk lavender note. This initial phase is great- deep and vaguely spicy. This phase shortly ends as the amber note develops and asserts itself. It is not spicy, but rather balsamic- perhaps due to the myrrh. The vanilla hovers in the background but never becomes too much of a distraction. There is not much further development- only the amber-myrrh-vanilla combination becomes a warm, cosy, enveloping and intimate. The great thing about this fragrance is its perfect balance of sweetness. My only gripe is it is a little unexciting from the heart onwards.
Average projection, good longevity.

Genre: Oriental

Ambre Précieux is probably the most balanced amber scent I know. Sweet spices, soft woods, and a judicious touch of vanilla make a scent that's sweet and sensuous, but not syrupy. This is richer, deeper, and sexier than Ambre Extreme or Montale's Blue Amber, but less sharp and aggressive than Ambre Sultan. It also lacks the latter scent's peculiar, jarring top notes. Ambre Précieux is warm, luxurious and satisfying, at once individual but inoffensive, and it's easy to see why it's so many reviewers' favorite amber fragrance.

Somptuos, decadent, perfectly-executed sweet and warm amber fragrance. To me there's three scents on the market that compose the perfect "Amber Triad": Ambre Sultan, which enhances the animalic, medicinal, earthy and dry side of the amber accord; Ambre Russe, which plays with its baroque, boozy and libertine side; and Ambre Precieux, which just takes the classic signature warm coziness of amber and glorifies that majestic, silky powdery sweetness that other fragrances tend to hold back. Another timeless piece from MPeG - just like Santal Noble for sandalwood.

9/10

This is pure joy, and everything an amber fragrance should be. Ambre Préciuex is deep, smooth, voluptuous, and incredibly comfortable to wear, and it carries all the characteristic Laporte/Maître Parfumeur et Gantier features: baroque opulence, conceptual clarity, and impeccable craftsmanship. Not a very complex composition, Ambre Précieux is all about ambergris and vanilla, lightly supported by, primarily, labdanum and tolu balsam. Unsurprisingly then, it is extremely sweet, resinous, balmy, and even slightly powdery. Certainly heavy, but never cloying or oppressive, radiant gorgeous Ambre Précieux is the quintessential “maximalist” fragrance, and, despite having been around for more than a quarter of a century by now, still one of the very best ambers out there (very comfortably in the same league as more recent reference ambers like Ambra Mediterranea, Ambre Russe, Ambre Nuit, etc.) A fascinating fragrance, Ambre Précieux is truly monumental and supremely enjoyable.