This Mother’s Day, Stop and Smell the Roses

Nestled among the rolling hills in the heart of the sprawling vineyards of California’s picturesque wine country, I discovered an aromatic and tranquil oasis at the Russian River Rose Company. Situated in Healdsburg, only 70 miles north of a beautiful ride from San Francisco, which includes crossing the stunning Golden Gate Bridge, the enchanting rose gardens open their gates to twenty guests scheduled for the quickly sold-out Perfume Rose Harvest Tour led by Michael Tolmasoff, the founder, owner, and guiding connoisseur of the Russian River Rose Company.

According to the Russian River Rose Company website, Michael and Jan Tolmasoff are the energy behind Russian River Rose Company. Together, Jan and Michael established a very special garden in Northern California. They have developed exclusive cultivars registered by the American Rose Society and re-introduced historic Bulgarian perfume-making methods. Jan is a noted rose lecturer throughout the Bay Area, sharing her knowledge of rose history and garden care, and her love of beautiful roses. Michael Tolmasoff grew up in Los Angeles in a unique Russian religious community, known as Molokans. His grandparents had immigrated to California from Russia in the early 1900s. Michael became a champion swimmer, setting several records. He garnered a scholarship to USC where he continued to swim, play water polo and major in chemical engineering. Established in 1990, the Russian River Rose Company is a family endeavor. Jan and Michael raised their two children, Alex and Tanya, on the property where they grow magnificent roses. Today, their grandson William joins in the fun and, together with his Gran Jan, has helped to develop four rose cultivars introduced by the Russian River Rose Company in 2007.

With two acres of over 650 varieties of gorgeous roses, fragrant rose perfume fields, and a butterfly garden full of winged visitors, the estate’s romantic Rose Alley showcases a number of roses named after Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, Ingrid Bergman, Dick Clark, and Barbra Streisand, just to name a few.

As I was filling my basket with the velvety petals of the garden’s Bulgarian, French and Persian varietals of roses (to be later distilled for my perfume, rose water or rose oil, which were included in the Perfume Rose Harvest Tour),  I could easily envision images of magnificent bouquets created from these beautiful roses. With their impressionistic textures and the artistic palette of bright yellow, orange, cherry red, delicate pink and gentle white colors, these incredible flower arrangements would have inspired the brilliant Dutch Masters to paint more of their priceless canvases.

My Russian River Rose experience was definitely an eye opener into the remarkable business of creating glamorous fragrances. As I watched with fascination Michael’s demonstration of the tedious and lengthy process of converting rose petals to the perfume’s aromatic scents, I realized how intricate and delicate this entire transformation process is. No wonder the cost of perfumes in department stores or in perfume boutiques is so prohibitive, but worth every cent

According to Michael Tolmasoff, there are only 200 Nose Perfumers in the world and all are graduates of the 2-year intensive schooling at the only known Nose schools in New York and Paris. The Nose Perfumers create only twelve fragrances annually—they are uniquely talented, in high demand, with lavish compensation of salaries reaching close to a million dollars a year. The fragrance formulas are forever kept secret and only the Noses know for sure the combination of its elements. The 2015 Fragrance Foundation International Awards presentation, which celebrates fragrances around the globe, will take place on June 17, at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.

At present time, many manufacturers throughout the world are creating synthetic perfumes to compete in the mega-profit fragrance market, but as one of the respected Nose Perfumers stated, “The difference between the original authentic formula and the synthetic manufacturing is like watching television in black and white versus color.”

I have a feeling that the perennial favorite movie “The Scent of a Woman” inspired quite a few celebrities to add their famous names to the creation of their signature fragrances, especially designed for them by the world’s renowned Nose Perfumer experts. Some make an enormous sum of money selling their perfumes. For example, Elizabeth Taylor’s “White Diamonds” perfume grossed over 40 million dollars. Established in 1925, “Chanel No.5” is one of the best selling perfumes of all time, grossing over a billion dollars. Taylor Swift, Madonna, Brad Pitt, and Beyonce have added their names to perfumes currently on the market, with Britney Spears outselling them all.

Quite a few of the rose growers are trying to hybrid black roses. I was surprised. But who will buy them?  “The Addams Family,” “Maleficent,” or couples celebrating their divorce? Well, that’s for my future article when the rose growers succeed; I’ll keep you posted.

Sonoma’s Russian River Valley is known for cool-climate wines, earthy and organically grown vegetables and fruits, nature hikes and rich history which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world to this spectacular region of California. I definitely plan to repeat my visit to the Russian River Rose Company and with Michael’s assistance create my own rose scents and lovely memories.

For additional information on Russian River Rose Company’s special programs and exciting tours, including the Deluxe Gourmet Tours, which include the rose-infused menu, “Dance Romp in the Roses” call 707-433-7455 or visit www.russian-river-rose.com

Happy Mother’s Day!

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.

By Lina Broydo