Mike, thanks for the excellent notes! I agree that Musarwise, the '96 rouge is a light one. In a sense, I can understand why the website says to drink now: this just doesn't IMO have the stuffing or the structure to develop into something more interesting. But I cannot imagine it going downhill anytime soon. Even the 1990, which is alongside this the weakest recent Musar is still going strong.
Though I don't appreciate the '96 very much, it is still true Musar. But 99, 95, 93, 91 are much better.
I should have warned you about the rosé. That is one strange wine. I should have told you to serve it at just a bit below room temperature (c. 17 C). What I do find curious is the prominent alcohol you mention. That I didn't notice. Oh well, maybe it has gone downhill even though I wouldn't have expected that (I think Bartholomew Broadbent has tasted a rosé from the 40's that was still going strong recently!!). Maybe a bad bottle. Maybe its just not your style. Impossible to say from here, but it's a pity you didn't enjoy it. You'll have to come to Finland in January for IceCool (like MoCool but in Helsinki, lol!!) and I'll open up something good to compensate for having recommended the rosé!
I don't drink wine because of religious reasons ... only for other reasons.