Fascinating thread.
I’ve flown a lot of gliders, but the best handling for me was the untipped LS7, which was delicate, responsive and lived and died by AoA. As far as light aircraft, you can do worse than much of what came out of the Robin factory: proper stick, clever wing, feels like an aeroplane rather than a car with wings. RVs are in the same mould.
In terms of transport aircraft, I actually quite liked the “Scud” 737-200, as it had light, powerful controls and could be flown very accurately if you put the effort in. Considering the design constraints, my current steeds of 777-200/300 can be quite fun to fly and are excellent in adverse conditions, like strong crosswinds.