It’s renowned for its immaculately crafted and heritage-rich writing instruments, as well as its watches and leather goods, and Montblanc has also been turning heads with its fragrances, which are as elegant as they are vibrant. Sure, the robust Legend has become a massive hit with men, and the subtle yet confident vibe of Presence and the floral and ethereal Lady Emblem have secured the luxury German brand a firm place in the realm of scent, but it’s the always-on-holiday mood of Signature crafted in 2020 by perfumers Guillaume Flavigny and Natalie Gracia-Cetto that has made Montblanc one to follow closely whenever it announces a new perfume for women.

Following the success of Signature, it’s recently done just that, unveiling Signature Absolue. Described as sparkling and radiant, its ingredients make it well worth adding to your fragrance wardrobe for the coming sunny months.

“We designed this perfume around a fresh and sparkling duo of mandarin and pear Williams, wrapped in the opulent narcotic notes of tuberose and ylang,” say perfumers Meabh McCurtin and Anne Flipo. 

“As a tribute to women’s creative soul, we played with the sensual, woody character of tonka bean and cedarwood, which we contrasted with the creamy facets of golden amber.”

There’s a fruitiness in Signature Absolue that’s blended with pink pepper to create something bright and undeniably compelling. This is then followed by a burst of florals held together by undertones of tuberose, frangipani and ylang. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Montblanc scent without an air of refinement, and that’s where the gourmet character of tonka bean and the woody notes of cedarwood come in. It’s all deliciously rounded off with a touch of sensuality courtesy of the soothing intensity of amber.

If these exquisite sets of ingredients call to mind something gilded, you’re not wrong. Meabh McCurtin and Anne Flipo say their inspiration came from another important element of Montblanc’s DNA — the handcrafted golden nibs of its iconic writing instruments. It’s this detail that drew the pair to design this luminous new composition that evokes the brilliance of the brand’s timeless signature.

Escapist? Yes. Sun-filled? Absolutely.