The Cacabelos co-operative's Godello, the cheapest honest route into the variety and a fixture of the co-operative's own town shop.
Tip: The same shop carries the Guerra orujo and vermouths, so it is the single stop for the co-operative's whole range.
A step up from Baltos in the Dominio de Tares range, still comfortably under EUR 15 and made from the same Bierzo Alto slopes.
Tip: Taste it beside Baltos and Cepas Viejas to walk the estate's three price tiers in one sitting.
Gancedo's old-vine Mencía from centenarian parcels between 600 and 750 metres, on clay loam with slate stones and, at San Miguel, on limestone.
Tip: San Miguel in Arganza is the only Gancedo parcel on calcareous soil, which is unusual in a DO the Consejo describes as carbonate-free.
The flagship of the Estévez family's return to Valtuille de Abajo, made from vineyards their great-grandfather Ramón bought before the family left for Mexico.
Tip: Valtuille de Abajo has a dozen bodega doors within walking distance of each other. Versos de Valtuille is a good first stop on that walk.
Losada's whole-bunch entry Mencía from Cacabelos, the bottle most Bierzo lists open with and the cheapest way to read the estate's style.
Tip: Losada runs booked visits Monday to Friday, so you can taste El Pájaro Rojo where it is made rather than buying it blind.
The Bierzo Alto house's entry Mencía from San Román de Bembibre, made in a cellar built for wines that keep far longer than this bottle asks.
Tip: Baltos is the bottle to buy if you want to compare Bierzo Alto fruit against the warmer valley floor without spending on the top cuvées.
Gregory Pérez's entry red from San Juan de Carracedo, Mencía with a share of Alicante Bouschet from the old mixed parcels.
Tip: Brezo is the easiest introduction to how Alicante Bouschet behaves in a Bierzo blend, which is a Bierzo trait rather than a Rioja or Ribera one.
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