The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
In 2020, Jo Malone London collaborated with perfumer Sophie Labbé to create Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense. The fragrance pairs the sharp, resinous character of cypress with the warmth of wine grape. One note cuts. The other softens. The tension between them defines the fragrance. Cypress leads the composition with its evergreen brightness, while grapevine follows with dark, slightly fermented fruit that offers sweetness earned rather than obvious. Amber settles at the base, grounding everything that came before and adding a warm, resinous depth that lingers close to the skin. The combination sounds unlikely until you smell it, the evergreen sharpness and the fermented fruit note create an unexpected harmony that feels both fresh and intimate.
What makes this composition interesting is the wine grape note. In perfumery, fermented fruit accords can skew cloying or too-sweet, but here the grape reads darker, almost raisined, with a quiet sweetness that tempers the evergreen sharpness rather than competing with it. Vetiver adds an earthy counterweight, its smoky, root-like quality preventing the blend from becoming purely green. Cedarwood does the heavy lifting in the heart, providing warmth and texture without sweetness. The result is a fragrance that feels grounded despite its fresh opening. Amber reappears in the base, not to add sweetness but to extend the drydown, creating warmth that lingers close to the skin for hours.
The evolution
The opening announces itself immediately. Cypress dominates, sharp and green, with an almost medicinal clarity that cuts through the air. Within minutes, the heart takes over. Cedarwood and vetiver arrive together, their woody, earthy qualities tempering the evergreen brightness. The wine grape note emerges here, dark, slightly fermented, offering sweetness that feels earned rather than obvious. The drydown strips everything back to amber alone. Warm, resinous, intimate. The sillage becomes close to the skin, as if the fragrance prefers proximity over projection. As the scent develops, the initial sharpness softens into something more rounded, with the woody notes and amber creating a continuous thread of warmth that carries the wearer through the fragrance's full evolution.
Cultural impact
Since its 2020 launch, Cypress & Grapevine has found its audience among those who appreciate bold, distinctive fragrances. Tom Hardy became the face of the campaign in 2024, aligning the fragrance with a particular kind of quiet intensity. The scent brings together contrasting elements, sharp evergreen and dark, fermented fruit, in a way that feels both grounding and unexpected. Its place within the Jo Malone range offers flexibility for those who want to explore the brand's layering philosophy, whether worn alone or combined with other scents in the collection.
