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Griotte Cherries

Q: Is Griotte Cherries natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No extraction from actual griotte cherries. The accord is reconstructed from benzaldehyde, fruity lactones, tart modifiers, and kirsch-type esters..

SWEETS AND GOURMAND SMELLS / gourmand · sweet · fruity

Griotte Cherries

Category	SWEETS AND GOURMAND SMELLS
Subcategory	gourmand · sweet · fruity
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Prunus cerasus (Morello type)
Appearance	Pale red to dark red liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Turkey, Poland, Russia, Iran, United States, France
Pyramid	Heart

Dark, sour, boozy-sweet. Griotte cherries smell like Morello cherries macerated in kirsch -- tart fruit, bitter almond kernel, and a wine-dark, almost medicinal depth.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Tart, dark, wine-coloured cherry with a bitter-almond kernel edge and a boozy depth. Sourer and deeper than sweet cherry, with the specific macerated-in-alcohol quality of griottines. The benzaldehyde provides the noyau (cherry-pit) bitterness that makes griotte griottes.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Tart-sour cherry burst, bitter-almond kernel, dark fruit

After a few hours

Boozy-sweet depth, kirsch warmth, fruit softens

After a few days

Soft dark-fruity warmth, faint bitter-almond trace

Terroir & Post-Harvest Process

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Griotte cherries (Prunus cerasus var. austera) are a subset of sour/Morello cherries known for intense tartness and deep ruby-black colour. In French patisserie and confectionery, they are often macerated in alcohol or preserved in syrup. The perfumery note captures this specific preserved-sour-cherry impression: darker and more complex than fresh cherry.

Construction layers benzaldehyde (bitter-almond/cherry kernel character), gamma-decalactone and gamma-undecalactone (fruity-laconic), tart-acidic modifiers (malic acid impression), and a dark, boozy-sweet element (ethyl esters, ethyl cinnamate for a kirsch quality). The bitterness from the pit (noyau) is essential -- without it, the accord reads as generic cherry.

Functionally, griotte works as a dark fruity-gourmand heart note. It is more serious and complex than sweet cherry, with a confectionery/patisserie specificity. The note works in dark-fruity, autumnal, and French-heritage gourmand compositions.

This note in Première Peau. Insuline Safrine. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Acetyl Furan · Ambermax · Ambrofix · Egg · Ethyl Maltol · Flour · Furfural · Genepi

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Griottines -- griotte cherries macerated in kirsch liqueur -- are a speciality of Fougerolles in Franche-Comte, which has held an AOC (protected designation) for its kirsch since 2010. The cherries macerate for a minimum of three months before being deemed ready.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No extraction from actual griotte cherries. The accord is reconstructed from benzaldehyde, fruity lactones, tart modifiers, and kirsch-type esters.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture (no single formula)
CAS Number	N/A — natural fruit (key aroma: benzaldehyde CAS 100-52-7)
Botanical Name	Prunus cerasus (Morello type)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	sour cherries, Morello cherries
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale red to dark red liquid

In Perfumery

Griotte cherry is a dark fruity-gourmand heart note. Benzaldehyde (bitter almond/cherry pit), fruity lactones, tart-acidic modifiers, and boozy-sweet elements (ethyl cinnamate). Darker and more complex than sweet cherry. Works in dark-fruity, autumnal, and French patisserie-themed compositions. The noyau bitterness is essential.