My wife's career is on the verve of a major bump in salary. While discussing the new income, I said, "can I get a new bike?" She paused for a second, smiled, and said "sure"!

So now I might be in the market for a NEW bike.

This bike will be primarily a commuter, but I have aspirations of touring also. It doesn't have to come with racks or fenders, but it has to have the attachment points. I'd like the wide range of gearing of a tourer, but I want a really tall high gear (52 front/11 rear, is there taller?). I'm still undecided on the bars, but I'm leaning towards something in between flat and drop bars. I'd also like disc brakes. I'd prefer hydraulic, but I would consider mechanical since it would allow for upgrade later on. I realize much of this is components that I can change, but might as well try to get what I want right from the start

As for frame geometry... I'd prefer something a little more upright than a racing road bike, but not too much. I'm not interested in a "comfort" bike riding position. I'm 6' and feel my current bike (old VW Trek aluminum MTB converted with street tires, fender, etc) is too small, so I'm looking for a frame that will let me "stretch out" a bit.

I guess the short list of things I want are:
steel frame
braze ons for racks (F&R) and fenders
wide range of gears with fast top gear
disc brakes

My budget will probably be in the $1300-$1500 range. That would include the bike and needed accessories such as racks or fenders.

I know there are a lot of similar threads, and I've read most or all of them I could find. While I found links to lots of bikes, none of the other posters seemed to be after this same set of features. Since most of the people on this forum know more about bikes than I do, I'm asking the experts to help narrow down my search.

Thanks in advance for your advice and recommendations.