EAU DE MENTON CITRON D'ÉTÉ by Prestige de Menton

With a seemingly never-ending barrage of rain, mist and wind, you could definitely be forgiven for craving anything that is going to remotely signal that spring is actually around the corner. It feels as though winter has now rumbled on for far too long, and the promised warmth is showing no signs of arriving anytime soon. Unfortunately I can’t control the weather, but I can point you in the direction of a little scented sunshine. So, grab your passport because we’re heading to Menton, the undisputed home of the lemon, to discover the deliciously tangy Eau de Menton Citron d’Été from Prestige de Menton.

Menton is the home of the annual Fête du Citron, which was first presented in 1934. This celebration of all things citrus has dramatically grown over the years, and is now a must-see for anybody in the area during the last two weeks of February. It was the Fête du Citron that first inspired perfumer Louis Berneux to create the original Eau de Menton back in 1947. He had moved from Paris to Roquebrune Cap Martin and wanted to encapsulate the festival in a fragrance. So, the original Eau de Menton was born and, 79 years later, it’s just as celebrated.

The company is called Prestige de Menton and, thanks to new owner Julien Foucher, it has received a sensitive facelift. He has created the Eau de Menton Collection which contains the original fragrance along with a selection of the company’s historic citrus fragrances. The Eau de Menton series launched with l’Originale, Verveine Citron, Citron Verte, Néroli and Méditerranée, before being expanded to also include Monoï Citronné and Citron d’Été. However, Julien also introduced the new Absolue and Soleil Gourmand to complete the collection of nine. All of the scents are mouth-wateringly magnificent, but my new favourite has to be the reinvigorated Citron d’Été.

As I’ve already mentioned, Julien Foucher wanted to update and modernise the look of Prestige de Menton, but without upsetting the long-term fans of the company. So, he set about resigning the packaging, replacing plastic sprays with aluminium, and also unifying the fragrances into the Eau de Menton range. One of the original fragrances from the company was the self-titled Prestige de Menton. This was a celebration of the house rather than the festival, but the citrus backbone of the scent lent itself to the main collection. So, with a rename to Citron d’Été, it’s time to bask in some very welcome summer sunshine.

The fragrance opens with a mouth-wateringly tangy cedrat and bergamot, which brings to mind a mix of sherbet lemons and champagne bubbles, before a touch of verbena adds a crisp green edge to the scent. This is followed by a metallic-nuanced neroli, hinting at those sunshine rays, before a whisper of rosemary completes the opening stages. The citrus aspects continue throughout the development, but the arrival of dry cedarwood and warm tonka bean adds a sophistication to the blend, and a signal that we’re moving from daytime to evening. With a final wash of white musk, Citron d’Été truly is the scent of summer, and I’m happy to skip spring now I’ve got my hands on a bottle of sunshine.

Eau de Menton Citron d’Été is available from the Prestige de Menton website at prestigedementon.com priced at €13.50 for 15ml, €19.50 for 50ml, and €28.90 for 100ml. [Sample provided by Julien Foucher]