Pinot noir has taken center stage lately, thanks to the movie ``Sideways,'' in which the protagonist, struggling writer Miles, waxes poetic on the subject and consumes copious amounts of the wine with his buddy Jack. Ads for the new DVD version of the film even proclaim the news that sales of pinot are up since the movie came out.

Pinot has always had its proponents in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation -- David Bruce established his winery and vineyard there because he thought the area had the potential to be one of the best pinot-producing areas of California. But Santa Cruz Mountains pinot has never gotten the media attention of pinot from appellations like Russian River, in part because there just weren't that many worth talking about.

That's changing. The appellation now has about 1,200 acres of vineyards, and a quarter of those are planted with pinot. About 30 wineries -- roughly half the members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association -- are making pinot. Some vintners are still feeling their way with this difficult grape, but there already are some outstanding wines.

The appellation, which roughly speaking encompasses the mountainous areas from Highway 92 to Watsonville, would seem to be nearly ideal for pinot. Although the area has a range of microclimates, much of it is quite cool, with a strong coastal influence. The poor soils are important, too: They naturally limit the size of the crop and impart an earthy minerality to many of the wines.

``Most places in California, you taste the sun,'' says Michael Martella, winemaker at Thomas Fogarty Winery. ``The Santa Cruz Mountains is more about the soil.''

The sun-driven pinots from some other appellations are weighty wines, often with fairly high alcohol. Santa Cruz Mountains pinots, on the other hand, have plenty of concentration but retain elegance and delicacy. There are exceptions, of course -- the occasional oak bomb or wine with 15-percent-plus alcohol. But words like ``elegant,'' ``supple'' and ``pretty'' show up frequently in my tasting notes from Pinot Paradise, a recent event that featured 24 Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. Nearly all of them had at least one pinot from the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. Many of the wines have an intriguing spiciness, too.

Typical of this style is the 2001 Windy Oaks Estate Reserve Pinot Noir ($33), from a vineyard in Corralitos. It's a very pretty wine, with bright raspberry, notes of vanilla and spice and supple texture. The winery also has a less-expensive 2002 Estate Pinot Noir Blend ($16) that's lighter but a good value.

The Schultze family, which owns Windy Oaks, also sells fruit to a handful of wineries. Vintner Jim Schultze notes that the site, which isn't far from the coast, has a moderate climate that results in a long growing season. Winters are relatively warm; summers are cool with few heat spikes -- a perfect environment for pinot noir.

One winery that buys Schultze's fruit is Testarossa Vineyards. Testarossa, which has a winery in Los Gatos but hasn't released a Santa Cruz Mountains wine since the mid-1990s, poured a barrel sample at the event of its 2004 pinot from Schultze Family Vineyard, a lovely little wine with juicy raspberry flavors. The winery has vinified fruit from other mountain vineyards, but Testarossa owner Rob Jensen says the wine has always gone into a bigger blend. ``We're proud to put Santa Cruz Mountains on this,'' Jensen says of the Schultze Family Vineyard wine.

Another winery, Alfaro Vineyards, has a 2003 pinot from Schultze Family Vineyard ($29) that has a slight tannic edge underneath the bright raspberry flavors. Alfaro's 2003 Estate Pinot Noir ($39) is even better, a rich, well-structured wine from the family's own vineyard, also in Corralitos.

Mount Eden Vineyard, better known for the classic chardonnay from its estate vineyard above Saratoga, makes attractive pinot; the 2001 Estate Pinot Noir ($35) is racy and minerally, while the not-yet-released 2002 is a little richer and riper. Thomas Fogarty Winery produces an interesting lineup. The 2002 Fogarty Rapley Trail Estate Pinot Noir ($48) is particularly good but very limited; the 2001 Santa Cruz Mountains bottling ($25) isn't quite as rich and complex, but it's a very nice wine that should be easier to find.

Storrs Winery was pouring a couple of seductively spicy pinots, including the 2001 Santa Cruz Mountains ($24) and the 2002 Wildcat Ridge ($26). Clos LaChance also makes several good versions, ranging from the pretty, medium-weight 2002 Santa Cruz Mountains ($25) to the darker, spicier, more structured 2001 Erwin Vineyard bottling ($35).

Other notable wines included the pinots from Pelican Ranch Winery, especially the 2003 from Remde Vineyard ($25) with its dark cherry flavors accented by violets and a very slight herbaceous note; the spicy, supple 2001 Clos Tita Estate ($36); the intense and spicy 2003 Hallcrest Pinot Noir from Belle Farms ($35; May release); the 2003 Picchetti Pinot Noir from Deer Park Vineyard ($30); and the 2002 Savannah-Chanelle Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($26).

Although some Santa Cruz Mountains pinots are made in sufficient quantities to allow for good distribution, many are quite limited, with no more than a couple of hundred cases. Your best bet is to contact the winery.

The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association has several upcoming events that will offer an opportunity to taste pinot as well as other wines from its member wineries. For information, go to http://www.scmwa.com/.