a $20-30 bordeaux to buy in paris

[Blue]

Wine is about 2/3 of the price that you find in the us over there. You should definately be able to get young wines up to deuxieme cru
with no problem and probably can pick up a nice 95 (e.g. I raved a couple months back about a 95 Gloria St. Julien). Have the person stop by a "Nicolas" retailer in Paris (there's one on nearly every block) or even in a supermarket and ask for a good Bordeaux.

One of the wonderful things about wine stores in France is that the people in there usually have a tremendous knowledge of all of their wine and are often willing to spend half an hour with you talking to you about the wines, how they are made, and how they will go with whatever you may be having for dinner tonight. This is probably a great chance for your friend to find out all they want about wine.

Now, what I really reccomend is that they ask for something from a tiny chateau that you can't find in the US....try something new..