Great Bordeaux can be incredibly complex, with haunting aromas and richly layered flavors that make any given sip of wine something of a thoughtful journey. Very good Bordeaux doesn’t have to be all that complicated. The Chateau de Ribebon was once a hunting lodge for Louis XVI, a royal history that belies the everyday character of the wine they make there today. The vineyards are on the left bank of the Dordogne river, about halfway between St Emilion and Bergerac, where the even keeled blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc gives classic Bordeaux notes: pipe tobacco, blackberry and blackcurrant with loamy potting soil. The palate has an impressive structural core of solid tannins and acidity to go with red raspberries, currants, and dried herbs before the finish offers leather, iron rich soil, and rose petals on the finish. Serve this wine with almost all the items on the menu of a Parisian – or Bordelaise – bistro.