Last weekend we were accompanied by a group of customers for a visit to Langlois-Chateau and to join them for the eight edition of the biennial Le Mans Classic at the historic Circuit de la Sarthe.

Held beneath a searing hot sun, this year’s event was filled with high-octane action tempered by some of Langlois-Chateau’s fantastic Crémants and Loire Valley wines.

On the Friday evening before the racing commenced our group joined the team from Langlois-Chateau in Saumur for drinks and a casual dinner. Buckets of oysters were expertly shucked and served alongside the Saumur Vieilles Vignes Blanc, skewers laden with salmon and chicken were barbecued and paired deliciously with the 2017 Sancerre’s from Château de Fontaine Audon (Silex) & Château de Thauvenay (Calcaire) and it wouldn’t have been a proper French dinner without plenty of delicious cheeses enjoyed with a lightly chilled Saumur-Champigny Vieilles Vignes.

The following morning we set off for Le Mans to watch pre-War Bugattis and Bentleys; Jaguar D-types and Ferrari 250 GTs; Porsche 935s and Ferrari 512s; and diesel-powered LMP1 prototypes, all in the same day and on the same track. The six competitive ‘plateaux’ were made up of over 500 cars that dated from the race’s inception in 1923 to 1981.

As well as a paddock full of historic sports cars the Classic also featured some of the old-school Le Mans running starts. When the start flag drops, drivers have to run across the track to their cars which are parked on the other side, climb in, start the car, and drive away to begin the race (this practice stopped at the Le Mans 24hr in 1970 following safety concerns).

And to top it off there was even time to be able to witness England progress through to the semi-finals of the World Cup!