With a passion to understand the wine business, Mick’s role as the Chairman of the Life Science Industry Council allowed him to make contacts within the UC educational system to assist in the understanding of enology from an academic standpoint. It also opened a world of resources to the endless quest of becoming a viticulturist. After years of attending harvest in Napa the Gallagher's decided to engage in the process of establishing a vineyard of their own.  Being in Southern California it was their hope to find a location here instead of relocating to Northern California. After visiting many of the local wine regions in Southern California they knew that in order to have a boutique vineyard of exceptional quality the environment was a key element in their success. After a search of the local areas they found the De Luz Valley. This unique valley offered all the environmental conditions conducive to growing red wine grapes. De Luz translation in English means “of light” or “clarity”. They felt this to be a good omen as two of the key ingredients in wine-making are clarity and brightness.