A few other thoughts, this is what works for me, there is really no "right answer" you have to test out various solutions and see which works best for you.
If you are looking for a true pano, I would define a pano at least a 3:1 ratio print, the the use of TS-E Canon or Nikon lens will not really get there as even at the max of 12mm of shift (newer 17mm and 24mm) won't get there at least from my work with Panos. You can get a very good high res 3:2 ratio print using the camera in the vertical and taking 3 images, but a true pano you will run out of image, even if you shift in landscape mode. You can mount the camera on an L Bracket with a Pano head like the one from Really Right Stuff, and take three sets of shifts, bottom, middle and top, but you are still at 12mm max shift. This can create a very high res image BTW, but not a true Pano unless you crop into the final image. Shifting only with no tilt applied. Note also with the new Canon the light fall off at Max shift is pretty harsh most times for me. I have recently started to take a LCC on each shift as I would with a tech camera, then then use Capture One's LCC tool to correct for light fall off, which is a very nice solution, just takes a bit more time. Also I have found that with at least the Canon 24mm TS-E II, at 12mm max shift you start to see a good bit of detail smearing from 10mm on, even at F11. From 2003 to 2008 90% of my work was stitched with either a Canon/TS-E or Canon Zork solution as I wanted max resolution for large prints. Now with cameras starting at 24MP that need is not as great, but I still stitch.
I feel you need at least 20mm of shift in either direction to get to where the image is going to be close to 3:1, and I have yet to find any 35mm TS lens combination that will get there. You can use a Zork Adapter, (allows for a medium format lens with larger image circle to be used on a 35mm camera) and then get to 18mm of shift and depending on the medium format lensyou pick you can get a very good 3:1 image. With the use an L bracket and a pano head mounted to the L bracket you can get a least 3 row with the Zork and stitch all that into 1 image, total 9 images 3 across top, 3 across middle, 3 across the bottom. And with the Zork it's possible to setup the rig so you shift the camera not the lens. Shifting the lens as with a TS lens on a Canon can still bring parallax into play.
One great solution is the Pentax 645 35mm or 45mm FA lenses (unfortunately hard to find them now) and a zork, with a Canon. I easily could take a full 18mm of shift to each side since I had the larger image circle of the 645 lens to work with.
Tilt can help, but I have found only on a 3 stitched solution Often I will use tilt on a 3 stitch image to help pull in the foreground as most times the top of the image will be sky and if I lose a bit offocus on the top due to tilt, no loss. However I am not doing a multi-row solution as you are looking for. As has already been mentioned adding tilt to a multi row will cause problems.
Taking the time to get your specific lens nodal point and then using a setup where you can pan around the nodal point will get you some great pano's but not multi row as the camera needs to be levelor parallax will really cause problems in the creation of the final image. With CS5 or PTgui, many times slight parallax can be resolved, but it's very dependent on the subject.
I also agree that the Gigapan solution can produce some really amazing images. I happened across a photographer last fall using one with a 5D MKII and he sent me a final file of a shot and the resolution was really amazing. However in many situations here in Arkansas, the light is going to change or wind will blow before you can complete a full series. But if you can a complete series the results are very impressive.
Worse case scenario, hand hold your camera and try to bracket visually, you might be able to get 9 frames hand held. And with practice even more.
www.reallyrightstuff.com has written a ton of material on working out nodal points, and stitching and they make some very nice equipment. Most of the literature in on their website and it's a great place to start. I can't remember zork USA website, but I looked them up the other day for another photographer and they are still around. Zork is made in Germany so it take a bit of time to get unless it's in stock, but all their equipment I used was very well made and still works to this day.
Paul