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New owners have big plans for Troon Vineyard Bryan and Denise White are the new owners of Troon Vineyard. [Photo by Larry Stauth, Jr.] Friday Jan 26, 2018 at 5:26 PM Jan 26, 2018 at 5:33 PM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness Surrounded by vines dating to 1972, a substantial winery and a tasting room that opened a dozen years ago, the new owners of Troon Vineyard are hardly starting from scratch. Yet, Texans Bryan and Denise White are leaving no dirt clod untouched as they reinvigorate the operation. Talk a few minutes with the Dallas-Fort Worth area physician and his wife and the conversation will soon turn to soil. The Whites want to know the make-up, properties and propensities of the 90-plus acres they've acquired, which started with the acquisition of the former O'Neill Vineyard, followed by the winery itself from Larry Martin late last year. "Initially we looked at the winery and O'Neill Vineyard at the same time, and thought it was a lot to do," Bryan White said. "After we got out here, we realized we wanted to do the production side, too. We basically put the properties back together." The vision, they say, is to control production of the wine from the grape to the bottle, adopting organic farming practices of long ago that will lead to biodynamic certification. "We set the bar high for ourselves," Bryan White said. "It will not only improve the quality of the wine, but keep us focused on the important things, treating the property right and not using a lot of pesticides and chemicals. We want to get back to farming the way it was 200 years ago.  Ultimately, good fruit makes great wine. You have to have a great winemaker like Steve (Hall), and you have to have all the other pieces." The O'Neill Vineyard, rechristened White Family Vineyards, has produced 65 percent of Troon's grapes. The remaining fruit found its way as far as Massachusetts, although much of it was delivered to Willamette Valley wineries. But this is a new day for one of the Applegate Valley's best-known wine destinations, and the Whites expect to use 80 percent of their estate grapes. Troon Vineyard was established in 1972 by founder Dick Troon, becoming the second vineyard in the region and the first to plant zinfandel in the Applegate Valley. "On the scale of wineries, we're considered a small winery," he said. "It's important people really understand we're not just buying grapes and making wine, we actually care about what we're doing. People like to understand the philosophy behind the product. Some of those aspects set us apart from other organizations. The groundwork has been put in for us to springboard, not just as a regional winery, but to be well known in the state, nationally and internationally." The Whites have long been wine fans, and are acquainted with Napa and Sonoma area winemakers and vineyard owners. But they had never been to the Applegate before wine-tasting at nearby Serra Vineyards and Schmidt Family Vineyards. That's when they learned O'Neill Vineyard was for sale. "This is a less-matured wine-growing region, and we feel like we can contribute a lot," he said. "In Napa, it's a much different environment. To compete in any way in Napa it takes a lot as far as dollars go, and you're dealing with a completely different structure. We felt like we had a better chance to put our stamp on the wine world here." Within the first six weeks of taking possession in November, the Whites began replanting some of the vineyard blocks. "We're working with a pretty impressive group of consultants," he said. "Analyzing the soil properties so we can pick the right kind of rootstocks, the right clonal varieties for what we're going to plant." That means detailed soil studies led by Genetic Sequencing, a San Francisco Bay Area firm. "It will allow us to look at all the kinds of microbes, the bacteria, the fungi and yeast," White said. "We'll be looking at that annually for the next three years to see how we're shifting and how that affects the production of wine." In May, a series of 3-by-5-foot pits will be dug as consultants test the vineyard's soil to identify potential diseases. Once the soil is examined, the appropriate rootstock can be acquired. After varietals are chosen, a consultant will go to the nursery and examine the plants for viruses. "It's a long process on the new vineyard development," he said. "We're methodically approaching this in a scientific way, and the end result will translate into the business we've planned for." Craig Camp continues as Troon's general manager, overseeing day-to-day operations. In addition to concerts, dinners and events, Troon will add beehives, sheep or goats and a 1.2-acre garden to supply products for food service. They also plan to build owl and bat houses on the property. — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness or www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.