Verveine d’Été by Un Jardin Retrouvé (Yuri Gutsatz, 1978)

Verveine d'Eté from Un Jardin Retrouvé Eau de Parfum

Perfumer: Yuri Gutsatz

Year 1978

Renamed in 2016 from Verveine Celeste

In 1978, Yuri Gutsatz released Verveine d’Été through Un Jardin Retrouvé, offering a distinct alternative to the fleeting, straightforward citrus colognes of the era. The fragrance operates as a sensory sanctuary, capturing the precise relief of entering Saint Petersburg’s Summer Garden on a hot August afternoon.

The initial spray delivers the sharp, luminous brightness of lemon and verbena, mimicking the transition past the famous wrought-iron gates along the Neva. This brilliant flash of light quickly softens under the canopy of neatly trimmed linden trees, where petit-grain introduces a woody, slightly bitter green quality.

Near the Fontanka and Swan canals, the rising humidity alters the citrus notes, removing their sharp edges and replacing them with a soft, slightly powdery quality that carries a distinct sense of physical cooling.

Further into the park, the fragrance evolves from a bright opening into a structured, aromatic heart.

Basil brings green herbality that mirrors the formal symmetry of the hedges and the rows of white Italian marble sculptures.

Near the brick walls of Peter the Great’s Summer Palace, the introduction of a dry, traditional lavender creates a quiet, reflective mood, evoking the historical atmosphere that once drew writers like Pushkin and Akhmatova to these same paths.

As the afternoon sun lowers, the promenade settles into a quiet, comforting conclusion near the central fountains.

A damp, clean vetiver emerges on the skin, carrying the scent of mist hitting weathered stone basins. Finally, oakmoss provides a velvety, shaded depth, reminiscent of the ancient trees surrounding the neoclassical tea pavilion.

The final hours of the fragrance leave a lasting impression of green solitude, completely removed from the noise of the nearby Nevsky Prospekt.

While I find it more masculine on my skin, it is an Eau de Parfum for both men and women.

You can find it HERE.