About J et R

About Us:

Our People

Our Estates

Our Distributors

Our People

J C & Rosemary Mathes

Contact: 1400 Jorn Ct, Ann Arbor MI 48104
jcmathes@jetrselections.com

J C's background in French literature (J C has a Ph.D. in contemporary French and American drama) is the source of J et R because it led them to France. On their university sabbaticals, they lived in Provence, the Vaucluse Department specifically, which is the heart of the Southern Côtes du Rhône appellations. They located there because of J C's interest in the middle ages and Roman antiquity, he had even studied Provencal - the middle age language of Provence, Languedoc, and Catalonia - in college. Rosemary's interests were in the antiques, arts, and crafts, especially the artisinal crafts such as pottery and iron work still very much a part of everyday country life in France.

In their numerous visits and stays in France, always living in the Vaucluse, they acquired many friends, including quite a few wine growers, six of whom have visited them in the US. They have also lived in a house or apartment on four domaines. They learned to appreciate good wine, especially the wines of the Southern Rhône. It seemed a logical next step to start importing some of them. And the hard work and long hours in the wine business began.

Jim Kenley

Contact: 7319 Captain Kidd Ave., Sarasota FL 34231
jkenley@jetrselections.com

A long and winding road suitably describes the travels of Jim Kenley into the world of wine. Graduated from Miami of Ohio in 1974 with a B.S. in Economics... nowhere to go, nothing do. Thirsting to see the world and to master a foreign language, he set a course that eventually led to France. He earned my French studies "scholarship" by selling Pepsi Cola for two years in the Palm Beaches of Southeast Florida. In 1976 he headed to the University of Dijon and there, in the heart of Burgundy, his passion for wine was born. In pursuit of this passion and in need of money, he harvested grapes in Burgundy, the Beaujolais, and in Switzerland at vineyards owned by families of my Dijon university classmates.

After two years in Dijon, he was determined to seek a career living and working abroad. He left the lush, bucolic land of Burgundy and headed to the harsh, arid desert of Arizona to earn a masters degree in International Management. Ticket punched, he became an international banker responsible for multinational corporations of the Benelux countries. After four years in New York City with Manufacturers Hanover Trust he joined with two brothers to pursue the grocery business outside of Indianapolis. Among other responsibilities in this small, upscale, family-owned supermarket chain, he took a keen interest in the development of wine sales.

After divesting of his interests in the supermarket business, fate led him to Ann Arbor in 1996, where he met with J. C. and struck up an association of sorts. He started by opening the Indiana market for J et R Selections. After relocating to Florida, he took on the responsibility of developing new markets in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Today, he is actively seeking to open new markets throughout the U.S. and to add new wines to J et R's portfolio.

His networks of friends, in France as well as the U.S., and his fluency in French markedly assist J et R Selections in expanding its portfolio. Through the Bazin family, in whose home he lived in Dijon, and who own vineyards in the Pouilly Fuissé appellation, J et R started importing wines from Domaine Thibert. Our wines from the Beaujolais come from the small, family-owned estate of Daniel Texier, to whom some thirty years ago Jim introduced his wife, Elfi, an Austrian classmate of his from the University of Dijon. In the tradition of J et R Selections, we place the highest premium on our friendships and we place the highest confidence in the recommendations of our friends as we strive to continue building a portfolio of high quality wines crafted in the tradition of the region by small family-owned estates.

With his wife and three sons, Jim resides in Sarasota, Florida, her home town. There, in addition to pursuing his passion for wine, he enjoys boating and coaching little league baseball.

Dan Farley

Contact: 626 N Dexter, Lansing MI
dfarley@jetrselections.com