The owners of Golden Road Vineyards left the city life in Illinois and found a beautiful tract of land along the South Fork of the Mitchell River in State Road, North Carolina, to begin their second career as vineyard proprietors. During the site analysis we determined we would be able to use the already cleared pasture for five of the vineyard blocks and were able to clear a small area of well-graded land for a future sixth vineyard block. As the other components to the vineyard master plan, we nestled the house down in its own little clearing at the end of a block of Petit Manseng, with gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We located the barn across the property to give privacy to the residence and to allow for easy road access for heavy equipment and deliveries. Vines were planted in the spring of 2011 and the owners anxiously await their first harvest.