Aerial of Cabot Bordeaux, a 36-hole golf resort in France

First thing you see when exiting the Bordeaux airport is a sea of red roses. In the same instant, the first thing you smell is cigarette smoke. Yes, you are in France!

However, we were greeted with dazzling sunshine so we moved quickly to pick up our rental car. Ooh-la-la! We were driving away in a brand new glistening Citroën with all of seven miles on the odometer.

Kevin is at the wheel and we zipped along toward our first destination. I was absolutely gobsmacked when we left the motorway and found ourselves in the tiny area of Pomerol. Really? Just like that? Wait! Isn’t this where Petrus, one of the world’s most collectable and expensive wines is from?

And, just a few minutes later we were approaching Saint-Émilion, where we were completely immersed in the medieval village for three glorious days and nights. For golf pilgrims, we know St Andrews is the heart of the Home of Golf in Scotland. Here, we are now in the heart of the famous Bordeaux wine area. We are in another kind of earthly heaven, surrounded by fine wine, ancient architecture and iconic monuments.

Saint-Émilion

The name of the town of Saint-Émilion derives from that of the Breton hermit Émilion that set up his hermitage in a cave in the Ascumbas forest. Now, centuries later, Saint-Émilion and nearby Pomerol, located on the right bank of the Gironde River, are known for their wines that come from unique terroirs that favor the merlot grape.

Our exquisite accommodations at Hôtel Porte Brunet

To navigate to Hôtel Porte Brunet we were using the GPS in the car but had a hard time with some of the directions in French. Finally, I pulled it up on my iPhone but then we were equally confounded, as we were directed to a tiny road that looked impassable.

That’s when we put down the window and asked a hunched over elderly gentleman où est Hôtel Porte Brunet? He gestured to go under the stone arch ahead of us. But there was a bollard in the middle of the narrow road. I looked at him in horror, but he motioned allez allez — so we just barely squeezed by in the pristine Citroën without scratching it. Whew!

Inching along the ancient road, I glimpsed the subtle sign for Hôtel Porte Brunet. Miraculously, we could reverse and grab one of the few parking spaces backing up to a low stone wall where dizzy tourists were roaming around to see the amazing view.

And it turned out, our own elegant room had this same view, only better as we were up that much higher. We didn’t know until later since our room wasn’t ready when we arrived.

That suited us just fine, as we were anxious to walk up to Bistro du Clocher — an excellent recommendation of Laurent Lartigue, the Directeur of the hotel, who welcomed us warmly when we entered the luxurious reception area.

It was a wondrous place, the minute our eyes adjusted to the elegant dark blue intimate setting. Every piece of furniture, perfectly placed, just so, was crafted beautifully, like a work of art. There were, in fact, fascinating wood sculptures with geometric shapes, and even the collection of candle holders, each made from 5-6 different woods, were works of art. It all fitted nicely with a bar area, set into a corner with all the Trocard wines on display and even a bottle of single malt Scotch Lagavulin whisky from Islay.

The origin of Porte Brunet

The Gate: Porte Brunet is one of the few remaining medieval gates in Saint-Émilion and it’s located south of the village. It was built in the 12th century alongside the ramparts and is symbolic of power and prestige of the village. In days of old, it was necessary to pay a tax to enter the village.

And Hôtel Porte Brunet

Brought to its current jewel-like status, Benoît Trocard is the heir to the 15th generation of winemakers in his family. Not only does he run the whole operation, he even prepared our sumptuous dinner, starting, of course, with wines from his family vineyards.

Since Kevin proclaimed that he loves Sauvignon Blanc, Benoît first filled our glasses with a delightful wine called TraLaLa. The playful label, populated with dragonflies and what looked like circus figures, also declared this VIN DE JOIE was an authentic Bordeaux Appellation.

We both came to the dining table with great curiosity and a healthy appetite. Our first course was a very inventive beetroot tartare.This extraordinary dish was bursting with delicate flavor and complex texture.

Completely vegetarian, it had the look and feel of meat, so Benoît poured a 2019 vintage Chateau Croix de Rambeau. It is labeled Lussac Saint-Émilion and is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Why we didn’t buy a couple of cases on the spot, I don’t know!

Our chef, clad in denim bluejeans and a classic navy blue cotton polo, flawlessly orchestrated our main course — a gorgeous cod, baked in the oven, surrounded by carrots from the Trocard garden — that he told us were laced with honey from the hives! The exceptional wine continued to flow and flow. When it was time for our desert, Benoit chose a 2022 Chateau Franc La Rose to accompany our chocolate mousse. He explained that the pattern of the roses on the label were reproduced from the wallpaper of his grandparent’s home.

I am happy to report the many Trocard wines can be purchased on their website and are possibly available in Ireland. However, I did learn from Cécile, the Governess of the hotel, Trocard exports to countries all over Europe and Asia.

Grand Saint-Emilionnais Golf Club

Grand Saint-Emilionnais Golf Course designed by Tom Doak is featured in the Terroir of Golf book, and is a lovely parkland course to play.

Playing golf in France

As much as I wanted to spend more time seeing things like the Monolithic Church and doing an underground tour, we were committed to play Grand Saint-Emilionnais Golf Club. This Tom Doak-designed course is featured in the Terroir of Golf book, and is a lovely parkland course. We were disappointed that the owners were not able to be on the premises, as we really wanted to say hello.

We did manage to have one other extraordinary gastronomic experience at the Michelin-starred Logis de la Cadène. We considered this Kevin’s birthday dinner, even though it was two days early. We elected to have the 5-course “The Harmonious” menu that included Confit green asparagus from Landes with pistachio praline, Langoustine with artichoke, XO bisque with aged balsamic, Mushrooms from the private quarries in thin buckwheat tartlet (my favorite), Turbot from the coast, and we nearly burst by the time our Soufflé with vanilla from Comores. Rhubarb cream and meadowsweet was set in front of us. Luckily, Kevin has a hollow leg, so he could help me with every serving (but he did not get any of my soufflé)!

Cabot Bordeaux Golf Resort

The Chateaux course, designed by Bill Coore.

Our very short trip now took us to Cabot Bordeaux, which was formerly known as Golf du Medoc. When we do our Golf & Wine Tour to France in 2026, this is one of the places we will be staying. We were overjoyed when we could check-in to our sumptuous suite before our first round of golf.

The property has two golf courses — the Vignes, designed by Canadian architect, Rod Whitman, and the Chateaux course, designed by Bill Coore.

In fact, I learned about this resort from Bill Coore when I did my interview with him for the Terroir of Golf book. Bill is profiled in the chapter called “Designers Talk Turf.” Chateux is one of only a few solo courses that Bill designed without Ben Crenshaw. The first thing you encounter everywhere in the resort is a big bowl of Canelé de Bordeaux. These lovely rum-flavored mini pastries are spongy and baked in little fluted moulds. If you have one you will want more!

Having one was the perfect way to start our round on the Vignes. Although both courses are very flat, I was glad we opted for a cart. Kevin and I both had brand new TaylorMade rental clubs. My set also included the Spider putter, so that was fun for me to use a mallet instead of my usual blade.

The next day we played Bill’s Chateaux course. They are both very secluded with plenty of challenge. In the pro shop, we were told the members consider Vignes a little bit easier. That might be because Chateaux had water on more holes and was slightly longer. We only heard the “coo-coo” of the cuckoo bird on Vignes. It is a sweet call.

We packed a lot into five days/nights but we could have stayed longer, visited more iconic sights and wineries, and probably put on another ten pounds eating more cheese, croissants, baguettes, and of course, drinking more wine that Bordeaux is known for.

No sooner did we get home to Ireland Kevin and I both said “Let’s go back!”

Aerial of Point Hardy, the course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. “It’s very possible that Cabot Saint Lucia is the most visually stunning piece of land we have ever worked with,” said Coore. “It was a privilege to work with the Cabot team on this one-of-a-kind site, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished. This project was truly a labour of love, and the initial feedback on this enchanting property as one of the world’s most sought-after golf destinations is very special to Ben and me.”

The Cabot brand is expanding all over the world. The visionary mind of Ben Cowan-Dewar has now developed a project in St Lucia that is nothing short of Amazing. Capital A.

Having started out creating Cabot Cape Breton, now both Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links are included in The LINKS 100 — a brand new ranking of the world’s top 100 golf courses, ranked exclusively by golf architects, Cowan-Dewar has set his sights way beyond Nova Scotia.

I was very privileged to play Point Hardy, the course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. I felt equally fortunate to be able to include several high resolution photographs in the Terroir of Golf book that were taken by highly regarded Swedish photographer, Jacob Sjöman, in the Bill Coore golf architect profile.

Cabot St Lucia

Point Hardy, an 18-hole course in Saint Lucia is quickly becoming known as one of the best courses in the entire world. It is without a doubt the most visually stunning course, known for its dramatic elevation changes, and opportunities for hero shots.

My partner, Kevin McGrath, and I built in enough time to fly down to the Caribbean after the PGA Show in Orlando to avail of our invitation. We were joined by another couple who Kevin enticed by telling them Point Hardy is Pebble Beach on steroids. It turned out to be an understatement.

According to an article I read by James Colgan in GOLF magazine: “Buyers have flooded in from every direction, and the all-star cast includes Yankees’ first-baseman Anthony Rizzo.

I had heard that Annika Sörenstam, who finished No.1 on the money list eight times starting in 1995, parlayed her winning ways as a professional golfer into a successful business career. That now includes a partnership with Cabot St. Lucia, so she has a home there too.

On the Cabot site, I read that real estate at Cabot Saint Lucia starts at $1 million, but I read elsewhere that listings run from $2 to $8 million. Some day, Cabot St. Lucia might have availability for public play, perhaps through another on-property resort. Time will tell. Right now, the focus appears to be homesites for custom homes and some other turnkey residences.