The Cabot Collection’s portfolio of destination golf properties continues to grow, expanding to continental Europe with the acquisition of the Golf Du Médoc Resort and its two 18-hole courses in Bordeaux, France.

The 500-acre resort, which is tucked between rolling vineyards and picturesque countryside in France’s wine country, has been appropriately rebranded as Cabot Bordeaux. It becomes the sixth Cabot property and, like the original (Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada), it has a course designed by architect Bill Coore and another that was created by Rod Whitman.

“It is really a function of finding great properties,” said Cabot founder Ben Cowan-Dewar. “You’re trying to find some remarkable destinations and also (consider) someone that wants all of the parts of the cultural wine and food experience. There’s no more obvious destination than Bordeaux. To find a Bill Coore and Rod Whitman golf course and not have to start from scratch, you feel pretty darn fortunate.

So, it’s sort of as perfect storm as you can find.”

Coore and Whitman will return to the property to revist the two courses — which originally opened in 1989 and 1991 — and consider potential improvements, but Cowan-Dewar says Cabot Bordeaux is turn-key for the most part. In addition to the two courses, there’s a 79-room hotel with restaurant and spa.

Unlike Cabot’s prior acquistion, the World Woods facility in Florida that was completely overhauled and rebuilt as Cabot Citrus Farms (with essentially four new courses), Cabot Bordeaux is about fully ready to host guests in a country that brings in more international travelers than any other in Europe.

“The city of Bordeaux is so beautiful, like a mini Paris,” Cowan-Dewar said of a historically significant region with castles, monuments, musuems, and more than 250,000 acres of vineyards that produce a wide range of award-winning wines. “You’re an hour from the sea and sort of in the heart of Europe. We just feel very fortunate.”

The property will be updated with distinctive and luxurious Cabot touches that have become commonplace at its other locations and the interior design transformation will be led by U.K.-based design firm Russell Sage Studio.

“We are excited to collaborate with local artisans to infuse the project with a distinct sense of place,” said Sage, who founded the eponymous brand. “The property will seamlessly blend modern and classic design elements, offering guests a home away from home enriched with unforgettable golf, dining and opportunities for relaxation.”

The two courses have been recognized among the finest in Europe, including a rare solo effort from Coore from just before the start of his successful, longtime partnership with Ben Crenshaw. Coore’s course is a par 71 links-style design, with wide fairways and water holes bordered by blooming plants and lush greenery.

Whitman helped Coore build the first course at the resort and then returned to create the second 18-hole layout, a rugged healthland design on a sandy site that plays through a pine forest. While the two sites are adjacent to one another, the courses are quite different in look and feel.

“It’s a bit like how Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs have different sites and therefore have very different characters,” said Cowan-Dewar, referencing Cabot’s original property in Nova Scotia. “It’s just a bucolic settling. You’re in the heart of Bordeaux and near some of the great vineyards, but it has such a beautiful rural setting.”

For Cowan-Dewar, the Bordeaux acquisition has similarities to his purchase of Castle Stuart and its acclaimed course in the Scottish Highlands that was designed by Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse. While Tom Doak and his team are currently building a second course at Cabot Highlands, the original is what first sold Cowan-Dewar.

“I was a fan of it before I was an owner. And it’s the same with Bordeaux. I’m thrilled to be an owner,” said Cowan-Dewar. “We’ll get Bill and Rod over and see what, if anything, they would do. But it’s just making sure we’re maintaining the conditions and presenting it in the best way. From an architectural standpoint, we’re such huge fans of Bill and Rod there’s nothing dramatic that needs to be done whatsoever.”

In addition to Cape Breton, the Scottish Highlands and Citrus Farms, Cabot last year opened its first Caribbean property in Saint Lucia and is currently developing its second Canadian destination (Revelstoke) in British Columbia.

Cowan-Dewar is always on the lookout for more potential additions to the Cabot collection, as long as the location is special enough. Bordeaux might be the newest fit, but it surely won’t be the last for the fastest-growing destination developer and operator in the world of golf today.