Tomorrow is the beginning of my eight day odyssey to the Mexican Riviera. I am flying to San Diego (the "Jet Plane" thing in the title) and am joining my partners, Dennis Quattlebaum, Ron LeGrand and Vicki Sessions in the Financial Freedom Network for our Fourth Annual Freedom Financial Cruise (that's the "sailing part").

The whole trip has been planned and is being managed by i-TravelAgent.Com, the cruise travel agency that I share with my partner in that business, Kim Fusto-Grammer.

We have over 200 passengers from our group (an new record attendance) and are sailing from San Diego on Holland America's Oosterdam on Saturday morning and returning the following Saturday. Our ports of call will be Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.

This year, the entire fantail (all cabins on the rear of the ship) of the observation deck on the ship is set up just for us and our buddies and we've brought enough libation (9 cases of wine) to float the ship - just in case of emergency of course :-)

I am also delighted that one of my dearest friends, Dave Mendenhall is joining us on this sailing. He lives in California and was able to get some time off from his career in office furniture sales to come spend some time with us.

He's had a tough last 12 months and lost his wife to cancer just after the first of the year. That's why I was so pleased to be able to offer him a spare cabin so he could get a change of scenery and party with us insane people.

By the way, some of that wine I mentioned above is going to be used for the wine tasting that we offer and I personally sponsor each year on the ship.

The wines we'll taste this year are:

(1) Babich, Sauvignon Blanc, Vintage 2006, New Zealand, Marlborough. This is a 90 Point White from Wine Spectator. The '06 Babich Sauvignon Blanc serves up concentrated, fleshy flavors of grapefruit, lime juice and intense minerality; hint of jalapeno pepper linger on the finish.

(2) Brassfield Pinot Grigio, Vintage 2005, California, Clear Lake. This wine was a Medal Winning White at the 2007 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. A precise wine, the dried citrus rind '05 Brassfield Estate Pinot Grigio zings on the palate with refreshing clarity; a fine seafood wine.

(3) Artesa Chardonnnay Carneros, Vintage 2005, California, Napa. Wilfred Wong Rates this classic varietal as a 90 pointer. With a firm grip on the palate, the well-crafted '05 Artesa Chardonnay basks in the glory of the beautiful stone fruit flavors of the Carneros region; enjoy with sea bass.

(4) Orogeny Pinot Noir, Vintage 2005, California, Sonoma. Tim & Kim love this Great Young Pinot. A delectable wine, the smooth and lively Orogeny Pinot Noir drinks easily; bright red flavors abound and last throughout the wine's finish; a nice choice with grilled lamb chops.

(5) Michael Pozzan Merlot, Special Reserve, Vintage 2005, Rated as a 92 Pointer by Wong, it's made from 100% Merlot. The '05 Michael Pozzan Special Reserve is subtle, seductive, and sexy; like the grape itself, well-balanced and refined; not a jawbreaker, just very fine.

(6) Perludio Merlot, Vintage 2004, Malbec, Argentina, Mendoza. Another 92 Pointer, this is an incredibly impressive effort. The superb '04 Preludio Merlot never saw any oak and has so much rich fruit and richness on the palate that it breaks the marketplace standard.

(7) Newton Claret, Vintage 2002, California, Napa. We love this perennial favorite and even Robert Parker, Jr. rates it highly. The '02 Newton Claret has a perfumed, Bordeaux-like aroma of plums, figs, cranberries, currants, and anise followed by elegant, medium-bodied flavors; nice structure.

(8) Pillar Box, Vintage 2005, Blend, Australia, Padthaway. This 91 point effort is a delightful blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from young vines, is an unbelievable value; has a nose of sweet red and black fruits; supple.

(9) Langtry Meritage, Vintage 2004, California, North Coast. We are big Meritage fans and love this one. The ambrosia of the Bordeaux-styled Red wine set, the '04 Langtry Meritage Red presents a case where black fruit meets sweet oak; lots to love in the devilishly delicious wine.

(10) Clos du Val Cabernet, Vintage 2004, California, Napa. One of Tims favorite California wineries. Ripe and well-formed, the stand-up '04 Clos Du Val Cabernet speaks strongly of the Napa Valley, layered with a suggestion of oak, this wine goes perfectly with a grilled rib eye.

(11) Jackson-Triggs Vidal Ice Wine, Vintage 2004. Canada, Niagara Peninsula. A truly opulent dessert wine, the thick '04 Jackson-Triggs Vidal Ice Wine shows incredible richness that stay through the wine's finish; ripe peaches and sweet apple flavors about; very sweet.

I'll try to post here as the week continues.

Bon Voyage to us all!