Fragrance comparison

Winter Tale Special Edition vs Mefisto

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 8 Nov 2026 5,307 ratings analysed

5 wins

Winter Tale Special Edition

Canali

4.4945 votes

Rank #32,673 CitrusWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

68%scent match

Closely related

Mefisto

Xerjoff

4.105,262 votes

Rank #546 CitrusPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Winter Tale Special Edition takes 5 of 7 categories.

Winter Tale Special Edition
Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.
Mefisto
Choose it for a citrus and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Winter Tale Special Edition5/7

Mefisto2/7

Ratings & consensus: Winter Tale Special Edition
Community sentiment: Winter Tale Special Edition
Longevity: Winter Tale Special Edition
Sillage & projection: Mefisto
Value for money: Winter Tale Special Edition
Versatility: Winter Tale Special Edition
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Mefisto

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Winter Tale Special EditionCanali

MefistoXerjoff

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.49/ 5 · 45 votes

Have 33%Had 19%Want 49%

4.10/ 5 · 5,262 votes

Have 77%Had 23%Want 0%

Category winnerWinter Tale Special EditionRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

62%Love

31%Like

0%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

45 votes

50%Love

32%Like

10%Ok

6%Dislike

1%Hate

3,672 votes

Category winnerWinter Tale Special EditionMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityWinter Tale Special Edition

SillageMefisto

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value50

Category winnerWinter Tale Special EditionBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

woody92%

white floral84%

powdery77%

lavender69%

aromatic61%

citrus100%

powdery91%

aromatic83%

fresh spicy74%

woody65%

lavender56%

Scent match68%Closely related · both citrus, powdery and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top30 to 45 minutes

Red AppleGrapefruitAmalfi Lemon

Heart2 to 4 hours

African Orange FlowerLavenderStar Anise

Base6 to 8 hours

Virginia CedarMuskSandalwood

Top

GrapefruitBergamotAmalfi Lemon

Heart

LavenderIrisRose

Base

MuskSandalwoodVirginia CedarAmber

InformationalShared notesGrapefruit, Amalfi Lemon, Lavender and Virginia Cedar. Durations are only published for Winter Tale Special Edition, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring56

Summer67

Fall78

Winter100

Day55

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter13

Day–

Night–

Category winnerWinter Tale Special EditionMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

Men60

Unisex35

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#32,673

PerfumerCeline Barel

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#546

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews629

Category winnerMefistoHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Winter Tale Special Edition by Canali is a polished woody aromatic fragrance built around crisp orchard fruit, refined botanicals, and dry woods. The scent opens with a bright burst of Amalfi lemon, tart grapefruit, and sweet red apple zest. As the brisk opening settles, a clean heart of aromatic lavender and African …

Reviews →

Xerjoff Mefisto opens with a bright blast of grapefruit, Amalfi lemon, and bergamot before settling into a cool heart of lavender, iris, and green rose. Clean musk and Virginia cedar anchor the dry-down, giving this 2009 release a crisp profile suited for hot summer afternoons. Unlike sharp aquatic colognes, this sce…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Winter Tale Special Edition or Mefisto?

Winter Tale Special Edition takes 5 of 7 categories. Winter Tale Special Edition is rated 4.49/5 from 45 votes; Mefisto is rated 4.10/5 from 5,262 votes. Choose Winter Tale Special Edition for a citrus and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Mefisto for a citrus and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Winter Tale Special Edition or Mefisto?

Winter Tale Special Edition lasts longest (Winter Tale Special Edition 76/100, Mefisto 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Winter Tale Special Edition or Mefisto?

Mefisto projects furthest (Mefisto 64/100, Winter Tale Special Edition 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Winter Tale Special Edition and Mefisto smell similar?

Closely related: a 68% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, powdery and woody accords. Common notes include Grapefruit, Amalfi Lemon, Lavender and Virginia Cedar.

Is Winter Tale Special Edition or Mefisto better for summer or winter?

For summer, Winter Tale Special Edition is the stronger pick. For winter, Winter Tale Special Edition is the stronger pick. Winter Tale Special Edition suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Winter Tale Special Edition and Mefisto?

Winter Tale Special Edition has top notes of Red Apple, Grapefruit and Amalfi Lemon, heart notes of African Orange Flower, Lavender and Star Anise, a base of Virginia Cedar, Musk and Sandalwood. Mefisto has top notes of Grapefruit, Bergamot and Amalfi Lemon, heart notes of Lavender, Iris and Rose, a base of Musk, Sandalwood, Virginia Cedar and Amber.