I’m planning a 4 acre cider orchard myself. Don’t have any recommendations yet, but I have a lot of relevant research that may be helpful in your search.
Here is a survey by professional cidermakers about what type of apples they would choose if they were available: http://wiki.nwcider.com/wiki/images/8/82/NWCA_2016_Cider_Apple_Survey_Results.pdf
Lots of great research being done at WSU: https://extension.wsu.edu/maritimefruit/tree-fruit/reports/#ciderapple I’d recommend looking at the data from 2011. Also this one about growth characteristics: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2167/2017/04/Variety-Growth-HabitHandout3-2016.pdf
Check out https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/search?cat=Apples if you scroll down you can see their cider specific varieties. I’ve bought lots of scion from them and it’s usually pretty good.
And this is probably not what you’re looking for but it’s an interesting article about the birthplace of the apple, Kazakhstan: https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/ar/archive/2006/jan/apples0106.pdf
I was just talking to a local orchardist http://renaissanceorchards.com about what varieties he would recommend and he strongly recommended bittersweets, when I asked him which ones specifically, he said: Mettais, Amerde Berthcourt, Brown Snout, Boutiel de Lessux, Medallie D'or, Rene des Pommes, Kermerrian.
Last recommendation is https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Grower-Guide-Organic-Orchardist/dp/1931498911/ref=nodl_ Michael Phillips is great, and this is the best book I’ve seen about orcharding. It will help you take care of your trees once you get them. Here is a 3.5 hr workshop he gave, tons of great info if you can sit for that long lol. https://youtu.be/0t2TTqn7vsE
Best book is The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist https://www.amazon.com/dp/1931498911/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_EBXR983D9G37WK4HCMVF
Best website about apple varieties is: https://cider.wsu.edu/ciderweb/
They also have resources about growing here: https://cider.wsu.edu/orchard-establishment-and-management/
Best book about making cider is: The New Cider Maker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603584730/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7YPZHNT1QGM6DWE2J26R
When you’re ready to buy some scion and get started check out: https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/cider-apples
Good luck!
PS as a side note I would suggest focusing on bittersweet varieties as you can easily buy sweet and sharp juice from wholesalers. Tannins are the hard thing to find. If you are looking for “the perfect tree” it doesn’t exist most good cider is a blend but Kingston Black is generally regarded as the tree to grow to grow if you can only have one.
u/JonVici1 I'm always interested to see photos of the orchard you are reclaiming, I thought I'd post some resources that have helped me answer many questions similar to the ones you seem interested in.
A few handy books (that should be available via amazon or your local library):
PDF Resources specific to restoring orchards:
Might be useful to have a list like this (obviously expanded) and stickied to help folks like us?