I seem to be somewhat out of step with my colleagues in the critical community, as I've found myself unmoved by most of Ramon Monegal's eponymous scents. However, I'd like to give a thumbs up to Entre Naranjos. It's not often we see a perfume based on a petitgrain note - maybe it's considered too heavy and metallic to take pride of place in a citrus composition - but I've long admired its twilit seriousness. Perhaps because it's extracted from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree, it manages to convey both the optimistic vim of the fruit and the deep earthiness of the soil from which they have sprung. Whatever the source of its appeal, there's little doubting its impact and Monegal has employed it here to admirable effect. From its unassuming, cologne-like opening, to the sophisticated intonations of its drydown, it presents multiple facets of its source material, coming across as a duskier, more Mediterranean Habit Rouge, with less sweetness, a heavier reliance on musks, and a top button undone to reveal a coating of dark chest hair. But don't worry: it's not too dangerous.
Other scents in the Ramon Monegal range may be reviewed here in the next few weeks.
[Review based on a sample of eau de parfum provided by Ramon Monegal in 2012.]