The ultimate French lemons are cultivated by a former champion Formula One driver in a hauntingly perfumed valley just outside of coastal Menton, on the French-Italian border. Francois Mazet, who keeps Joel Robuchon, Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse, the Troisgros brothers, Michel Guerard, and many other top French chefs in lemons, along with several top Italian tables like Del Pescatore, in Mantua, and Enoteca Pinchiorri, in Florence, began seriously cultivating citrus when he retired from racing in 1967. "I'd been fascinated by the beauty of lemon trees ever since I first visited Menton as a nine-year-old boy" says Mazet, 70. He bought his farm, "La Citronneraie," in 1953, and after restoring the original 1820 house, he planted a hundred lemon trees in 1957. "Initially, it was a hobby; now, it's my passion," says Mazet, whose property now counts almost 500 lemon trees, which he tends with two full-time gardeners to produce some 60 hand-harvested tons of fruit a year. "Among the 80-some-odd varieties of lemon, the rough-skinned Menton lemon (citrus limon) is prized by chefs for its perfume, distinctly flavored zest and pulp, and the fact that its juice has a higher sugar content than other lemons," Mazet explains. "Ducasse uses them to make sorbet, Robuchon likes them for savory cooking in dishes like frog's legs, and many chefs use them for pastry."
Citrus first arrived in Menton with crusaders returning from Syria in the 14th century, and clementines and lemons in particular quickly become such an important cash crop that they were the intertwined emblem of the town?s medieval coat of arms. Today, however, Mazet is one of only three commercial growers left, and the only one who grows organically. Every four years, ladybugs are released in his orchards to control aphids, and no chemicals are ever used on his property. "Lemon trees are fragile, but here they're in paradise; we have a southern exposure, the soil is basically limestone, and between breezes off the Mediterranean and the curtain of mountains behind us, the temperature remains constant between 6 to 13 degrees Celsius." Proud of his role in preserving a treasure of French gastronomy, Mazet is leading a campaign for the Menton lemon to receive an I.G.P. (immatriculation geographique protege), a prestigious designation that he hopes will call more attention to the rare and delicate fruit. "I'm not much of a cook, but I grow one helluva a lemon," he says with a grin. La Citronneraie can be visited by appointment (33-4-93-35-43-43); in addition to fresh citrus, Mazet also sells superb citrus jams, liqueurs, and baba (sponge pastry) packed in lemon liqueur.
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