Vanille 44 
Le Labo (2007)

Simply stunning. It's a not-sweet, barely-vanilla scent, and it is pure warmth and coziness on a rainy day. I have now drained two decants, and am seriously considering a 50mL, even though the price is beyond exorbitant.

Vanilla as a spice, as it should be. The incense gives it a peppery, dusty feeling while the amber comforts you even more.

An instant love for a vanilla fan. So different from others.

Slightly floral, slightly boozy, and sweet but not too sweet, Vanille 44 by Le Labo is a welcome entry in their City Exclusive line and their total catalog, as the house doesn't seem to offer an abundance of sweet fragrances, otherwise. It's agreeable and not likely to offend, since it does not push the extremes of concentration, sweetness, or floralness. Rather, it sits in a comfortable unisex medium that makes it a greater year-round option for fans of vanilla. I certainly wouldn't go the route of emphasizing that this is so much more than vanilla, as the signature note is certainly the star of the show, but there are other elements that give it some depth. For some reason, the incense and guaiac (per the note listings) are giving me a musky vibe in the base, I suspect, and I don't get the orange or any citrus at all, really. I can imagine Vanille 44 being a fragrance where subservient notes resonate differently for wearers.

While it carries the same burden of price as the other City Exclusives, it's one of the better offerings of the line, but surely not one that I would buy. In the vanilla scheme, it's still inferior to Tauerville Vanilla Flash and Dame Perfumery Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, that I can attest are significantly more affordable, as well.

8 out of 10

Breathtakingly good!!! I do not prefer to wear vanilla fragrances and this is the ONLY fragrance I will wear. Spirituese Double Vanille is a little too sweet for me but this one here is so comforting and a little more masculine. Non foody, soft, with a trail of incense and gaiac wood, Vanille 44 pairs perfectly with my bottle of Le Labo Gaiac 10. The two were made to be worn together I believe. I agree, the price is unreasonable, but it is what it is and once you own it, you own it for life and you will always be able to get refills whenever you'd like at a 20% discount (if you own the 50ml, 100ml, or 500ml bottles.) Without a doubt, Full Bottle Worthy!!!

.Whilst I get aldehydes and a whiff of orange at the beginning, very soon the vanilla bean takes over: a rich, smooth, bright and elegant vanilla. Intense, with a hint if incense at times, but never very sweet, intrusive or cloying. In other words: extremely well balanced and blended, and in spite of its limited developing never boring. A core note very well done can be as interesting to me at times as a more complex composition. This is a case in point. Decent silage and projection, an an excellent longevity of nearly nine hours. A vanilla masterpiece.