I'm not much of a boot wearer; I hiked through Glacier and much of Montana in snow a couple of years ago in trail runners, so my opinion on what's 'best' will likely not match with yours.

I did want to comment, however, on the use of goretex socks with boots. Goretex socks work okay with very breathable non-waterproof shoes, because you need a delta (a difference) between the outside of the sock and the vapor-rich inside for it to work. If you enclose the goretex sock in a waterproof boot, there's nowhere for the vapor to get out to --- the sort of osmotic barrier is useless if you enclose and block it from doing its job.

If you're concerned about cold, bring a vapor barrier sock instead and accept that your feet get wet inside (perhaps worthwhile to research the whole "vapor barrier" approach if you're not already familiar with it).

As an aside, I *suspect* that boots designed for the military today will suit you just fine; I recall interacting with someone (perhaps even on this forum) that was a big fan of, and had experience with using this sort of boot in wet conditions. My own experience with combat boots dates back to just after Viet Nam, so not so relevant ... :-)

Best of luck in finding something that suits you.