Demencia de Autor ★ 4.5

Bodegas Estefanía ★ 4.6

The Tilenus house at Dehesas, built by the Frías family from 1999 in a converted dairy and bottling Mencía and Godello as separate parajes rather than as one blend.

Almázcara Majara ★ 4.4

Three-partner project at Almázcara in the eastern Bierzo whose name joins the initials of Manuel Benito, Javier Álvarez and Raúl García, built on small Mencía lots.

Signature wines: Almázcara Majara, Cobija del Pobre Godello, Aphrodisiaque Mencía, Amphora de Cobija del Pobre, Aphrodisiaque Rosé

Descendientes de J. Palacios ★ 4.9

Founded at Corullón in 1999 by Álvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios, working Mencía across more than 200 small slate parcels under biodynamic farming.

Signature wines: Pétalos del Bierzo, Villa de Corullón, Las Lamas, Moncerbal, La Faraona

Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa ★ 4.8

Pérez family estate at Valtuille de Abajo bottling under its own name since 1991, farming 85 hectares of mostly 50-year-plus vines and releasing village and parcel bottlings.

Signature wines: Valtuille La Vitoriana, Valtuille El Rapolao, Valtuille La Cova de la Raposa, Valtuille Villegas, Valtuille Vino de Villa

Bodegas Peique ★ 4.6

Family bodega whose first commercial vintage in 1999 ran to 10,000 bottles, now around 200,000, from 12 hectares of goblet vines aged between 45 and over 90 years in Valtuille.

Signature wines: Peique Ramón Valle, Peique Tinto Mencía

Bodegas Dominio de Tares ★ 4.7

Founded at San Román de Bembibre in 2000 and one of the projects that reframed Bierzo, fermenting both reds and whites with indigenous yeasts since the 2007 vintage.

Tasting: Cellar visits on weekdays, 09:00 to 18:00, by arrangement on the winery telephone or email.

Signature wines: Baltos, Cepas Viejas Mencía, Bembibre, P3, Cepas Viejas Godello, El Paisano de Tares

Bodegas Estefanía ★ 4.6

The Tilenus house at Dehesas, built by the Frías family from 1999 in a converted dairy and bottling Mencía and Godello as separate parajes rather than as one blend.