Visiting Cépages Parfums – A Motorcycle Journey through Provence

Lauriane – The Woman Behind Cépages Parfums

Lauriane Guignon, the woman behind the French niche fragrance brand Cépages, is a fourth-generation winemaker and grower of plants and flowers for the perfume industry. The artisanal knowledge and tradition of cultivating the rose variety Rosa Centifolia, now classified as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, was on the verge of disappearing in the early 1990s due to declining demand from the perfume industry.

When Lauriane, who has always had a deep passion for the historic landscape of the Grasse region, was 20 years old, she and her father decided to embark on a project. Their goal was to restore the old Rosa Centifolia plantations on their land. Ten years later, Cépages Parfums was born, a brand built on the principles of the highest level of perfumery, viticulture, winemaking, and a passionate cultivation of fragrance raw materials.

The fragrances are produced as much as possible from natural raw materials sourced from the Grasse region and other sustainable producers around the world. Both the production of the finished fragrance and the packaging take place locally in the Grasse area. To minimise waste, leftover alcohol from the winemaking process is used in the perfumes, and the corks are made from offcuts from wine cork production.

Lauriane's Cépages Parfums is so much more than just a luxurious, artisanal fragrance brand. In a world where luxury, extravagance, and mass-produced goods are often the ultimate commercial focus, Cépages Parfums is the antithesis of this. Just like a fine wine, the fragrances are rooted in the soil of the Grasse region, a pure tribute and manifestation of its natural beauty.

The Collection 

Each fragrance from Cépages represents different aspects of winemaking and flower cultivation in Provence:

• Taniros: Captures the habitat of Rosa Centifolia in a precise and true-to-nature way, just before and during the harvest. It has the green, dry, and crisp scent of the rosebush with light citrus notes — watercolour-sheer and luminous in its expression.
• Cardamome Noir: Warm and spicy. It is meant to symbolise the sun-drenched and life-giving soil, terroir, which is the very foundation of all greenery and vegetation in the region.
• Muscaté: Inspired by a golden, sun-warm summer evening in the vineyard. The fragrance captures the refreshing fruitiness of the muscat grape with the help of neroli, but is firmly anchored with woody notes of cypriol.
• Contre Courant: Captures the floral scent of the vines and the sun-drenched coastal environment of southern France with its salty spray. A fresh and cool musk with soft tuberose.
• Borderline: The Syrah grape in fragrance form. It is a vintage chypre with an earthy patchouli base, dry fruitiness from blackcurrant notes, and fresh pink pepper.

A Motorcycle Journey through Provence

Earlier this year, I received a personal invitation from Lauriane to visit her and take part in the harvest on her Rosa Centifolia plantation. This rose variety is also known as Rose de Mai, as it blooms and is harvested during only a few intense weeks in May. It was, of course, an offer impossible to refuse!

So we did it: my husband and I booked flights to Nice, rented motorcycles at the airport, and headed north towards the Grasse area.

We rode to our accommodation, Moulin de Camandoule, an old olive mill from the 18th century converted into a hotel. Here we were welcomed by relaxed, rustic luxury and a very fine restaurant on the premises.

On Saturday morning we jumped back on the motorcycles and rode over to Lauriane and her family's vineyard, Mas Richardenque, just a couple of kilometres from the hotel.

The Harvest

Lauriane kindly welcomed us with coffee and pastries before taking us down to the rose plantations. A traditional combination of a cloth bag and apron was tied around the hips with the bag facing backwards — that is where the precious roses are placed during picking.

The roses that have just opened during the morning are carefully picked with a small, firm twist so as not to damage the bush. If the rose is only half open, you gently tap the bud; if it opens, it is picked — otherwise it waits until the next day. Side by side with your picking partner, you walk row after row collecting the bloomed flowers. It is an incredibly beautiful, social, and almost ceremonial moment.

We also got to visit Lauriane’s lab, where she sketches out new ideas for fragrances for her collection. We even got a little sneak peek of one of the new arrivals coming later this summer.

After the rose picking, we got to visit Lauriane's laboratory where she creates her fragrances and sketches new ideas. We ended the wonderful visit with a wine tasting where we got to try the vineyard's four different wines.

The memories of the visit are treasures that I want to keep in my heart for the rest of my life. The greatest impression I take home with me is Lauriane's artisanal genius in being able to capture the environment and atmosphere of this endlessly beautiful landscape. Her love and respect for the family's origins and for what mother earth offers is so relatable for an old farm girl like myself. 

Thank you so much, Lauriane for having us! We would love to come back again.