1st road bike; wary of no-name parts?
My first real road bike was around $1300 - so you are on the right track as far as spending. You do have to pony up to get a decent ride and components. 

I bought a Bianchi, and the dealer is an hour away. I haven't had any issues, but now that I look back I should have bought a bike where I live, so I have dealer support and can get parts/merchandise easily.

Are any of the brands you mentioned local to you?

If I were to pick I'd go with the Trek for your first one. My bike has Tiagra and its been fine. I actually will probably upgrade to 105 when stuff starts wearing out. Having Tiagra gives me something to look forward to.