Which composer do classical music snobs prefer over all others?

Kevin Puts, Zhou Long, David Lang, Ornette Coleman, Yehudi Wyner, Steven Stucky, Paul Moravec, etc.

I'm just naming composers who've won the Pulitzer Prize in Music but I haven't heard of otherwise (e.g., I've excluded Jennifer Higdon and Steve Reich).

Wagner. I've never met anyone who didn't think that Wagner was one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time. His music is very complex and requires a high degree of education to fully understand. If you want to make a snob uncomfortable use words like "Wagner's chromatic harmony".

I can't speak for other folk or even for classical music snobs .... but I have a definite preference for Debussy (and yes, I know he is not from the Classical period). From the Classical era, I like Haydn for his simplicity and clarity.

Hayden

Richard Nanes

I do love Elgar Serenade for Strings and Salut d'amour are my favorite

I don't know any "classical music snobs".

You're not trolling, are you?

Yiruma

... or then again, maybe not.