Alibaba Founder Buys Bordeaux Estate

Jack Ma, founder of multi-billion dollar online retailer Alibaba and the second richest person in China, is now the proud owner of a Bordeaux estate, specifically Château de Sours.

Ma joins a growing list of Chinese investors in the Bordeaux region. Eater reports that the push to buy up estates began in 2010, and 100 of the region's vineyards have become Chinese-owned since that time.

Ma, of course, has big plans for Château de Sours. According to Decanter, Ma intends to create a "mini Versailles." There are plans to turn the cellars into a barrel storage center and wine museum, and construction is already under way to renovate the château's facade, courtyard, and garden. Additionally, Ma has intentions of teaming up with another Chinese owner, Zhao Wei, to centralize their assets and from there buy up other estates in California, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia.

The previous owner of the estate, Martin Krajewski, is to remain as a consultant for the estate "for the foreseeable future."