Americans have been in Bordeaux nearly as long as there has been a United States of America. n the 20th century, the repeal of Prohibition saw the Bordeaux-U.S. union fortified, as the expanding demand for claret ferried American dollars into the wine region. A new tide of American property buys began during the late 1990s, on the eve of a lush decade for both American financial and Bordeaux viticultural fortunes. Today, Americans and their families own some 20 estates in the region, ranging from the prominent to the promising. Wine Spectator editorial assistant Ben O’Donnell explains.